Senior Technologist - Strategic Materials
Bloom Energy · San Jose · $178,800–$257,200 (stated in the posting)
At Bloom Energy, our vision for a world powered by clean, reliable, and affordable energy is more than just a dream—we’re making it reality.
For over two decades, we’ve been at the forefront of the global energy transition, pioneering solutions that empower critical industries to thrive in a rapidly digitizing, energy-intensive world. From revolutionizing power for AI-driven data centers to ensuring resilience for hospitals, electric grids, manufacturing facilities, and utilities, our solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC) technologies are redefining what’s possible by delivering energy abundance for all. With more than 30,000 fuel cell modules deployed worldwide, we are the trusted partner for Fortune 100 companies and innovators alike. Our cutting-edge solutions enable unparalleled “time-to-power” capabilities, reliability, and sustainability, ensuring our customers remain ahead in a world where soaring energy demand and intensifying energy scarcity are rapidly becoming the new norm.
At Bloom, we thrive on collaboration, bold thinking, and relentless innovation. We believe that, together, we can create a brighter, more sustainable future while tackling the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.
We are looking for a Senior Technologist - Strategic Materials to join our team in one of today’s most exciting technologies. This role will report to the Director Supply Chain, Commodity Leader and will be based in San Jose, CA. This is a fully on-site, 5 days in office role.
The Senior Technologist - Strategic Materials will lead hands-on process development, optimization, and scale-up of hydrometallurgical systems for critical and rare earth metals production. This role is ideal for someone with deep technical experience in wet chemistry, aqueous processing, leaching, precipitation, separation, purification, and pilot-scale development who wants to build real-world industrial processes, not just model them.
This position will play a key role in translating laboratory results into scalable process designs that support Bloom Energy’s supply chain from process flow sheet to pilot plant to production deployment. You will work closely with R&D, engineering, and operations teams at Bloom Energy and at Supplier Partners to design experiments, troubleshoot complex process challenges, develop operating parameters, and guide junior engineers and scientists.
Key Responsibilities
- Process Development: Design and run lab- and bench-scale tests for unit operations like leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange, and precipitation.
- Lead the design, execution, and analysis of hydrometallurgical experiments involving leaching, purification, precipitation, solid-liquid separation, solvent extraction, and related critical metals processes
- Develop and optimize process conditions for laboratory, bench-scale, and pilot-scale hydrometallurgical systems
- Provide technical leadership for wet chemistry work, including solution chemistry, acid-base chemistry, pH control, filtration, precipitation, reagent selection, and process troubleshooting
- Scale-Up & Operations: Translate bench chemistry into pilot-plant or commercial-scale operating flows, ensuring economic and technical viability.
- Support equipment sizing and selection for reactors, filtration systems, thickeners, mixer-settlers, tanks, pumps, and other hydrometallurgical process equipment
- Lead root-cause analysis and troubleshooting for process performance issues, including recovery losses, impurity behavior, phase separation challenges, and process instability
- Collaborate with engineering, R&D, and operations teams at Bloom Energy and at Supplier’s to develop pilot-scale test plans, operating procedures, and process control strategies
- Support the scale-up of Bloom Energy’s critical metals supplier production processes from process flow sheet through production manufacturing
- Data Modeling: Create and manage mass and energy balances using simulation tools like METSIM or SYSCAD.
- Safety & Compliance: Implement rigorous environmental, health, and safety protocols for handling wet chemistry, hazardous reagents, and waste streams.
- Lab management: Mentor junior engineers, scientists, and technicians in experimental design, lab execution, safety practices, data interpretation, and technical documentation
- Maintain clear technical records and prepare reports, presentations, and recommendations for internal design reviews and leadership discussions
Qualifications & Skills
- Education: Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Geochemistry, or Mining Engineering (Master's or Ph.D. often preferred).
- Experience: 5+ years of hands-on industrial or research experience in mineral processing, metal leaching, or recycling critical minerals.
- 5+ years of experience in hydrometallurgy, wet chemistry, chemical process development, mineral processing, metals refining, or related chemically intensive systems
- Experience mentoring junior technical team members or leading technical workstreams in a laboratory, pilot, or industrial environment
- Technical Competencies: Strong mastery of wet chemistry, solution purification, and analytical instruments (e.g., ICP-OES, XRF, titration).
- Strong hands-on experience with hydrometallurgical unit operations, including leaching, precipitation, filtration, solid-liquid separation, solvent extraction, purification, and crystallization
- Demonstrated experience translating laboratory or bench-scale data into pilot-scale or commercial process development decisions
- Strong understanding of aqueous chemistry, solution speciation, acid-base chemistry, impurity control, reagent behavior, and process optimization
- Experience developing mass balances, process flow diagrams, experimental plans, technical reports, and operating procedures
Bloom Energy is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We are committed to compliance with all applicable laws providing equal employment opportunities. All qualified applicants, will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability. Bloom Energy makes reasonable accommodations, consistent with applicable laws, for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified applicant or employee with a disability, who can perform the essential job functions, unless undue hardship would result.
At Bloom Energy, we are committed to supporting the well-being of our employees and their families. Our comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees includes competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans with a large employer contribution, a 401(k) Retirement Plan with company match, generous Mental Health Support services, Legal services, virtual Physical Therapy access, and Fertility & Family Forming benefits.