Materials & Production Process Lead

We're a stealth hardware startup on a mission to unlock new energy for frontier applications - from connected devices and IoT to physical AI and robotics. Our technology turns everyday surfaces into power sources, reshaping how energy is generated and delivered to where electrons are needed most. We're a small, focused team with an unfair edge: an exited founder, deep Big Tech and robotics experience, and more than 30 years of hands-on hardware supply chain expertise.

We're hiring a Materials Development Lead with perovskite solar cell experience to own the interface between our internal R&D and scaling with our key production partners - precursor and solvent vendors, encapsulant and substrate suppliers, external characterization and testing labs, and the OEMs and contract manufacturers who build our hardware. You won't be doing bench work yourself; you'll be directing it. That means knowing enough about perovskite chemistry and device physics to spec the right experiments, choose the right labs, interpret the data critically, and make the call on whether a material is ready to move forward. You'll also be the person our vendors and manufacturers talk to - which means being credible technically and being able to have both vision and planning capabilities so others can take your requirements and organize them for execution. 

• Experiment direction: Define the testing agenda for new materials: determine which variables matter, design DOEs, write test protocols, and commission external labs to execute. Review data critically - know when results are trustworthy and when to push back.
• Vendor qualification: Own the approved vendor list (AVL): identify and qualify precursor suppliers, solvent manufacturers, encapsulant and substrate vendors. Set incoming material specifications and hold vendors to them.
• Supplier relationships: Be the primary technical contact for key chemical and materials suppliers - write specs, run joint development projects, interpret vendor data, and push for improvements where our requirements exceed what they've built for before.
• OEM & manufacturer coordination: Work directly with OEMs and contract manufacturers on material-process compatibility: translate lab-defined specs into manufacturing-ready parameters, coordinate qualification runs, and close the loop when production results diverge from lab results.
• External lab management: Manage external characterization and testing labs - select the right labs for the right measurements (XRD, EIS, SEM/EDS, PL/TRPL, ICP-MS, environmental testing), spec the work clearly, and synthesize results into decisions.
• Cross-functional alignment: Partner with electrical engineering, process integration, and reliability to make sure material selections hold up at module level and under real-world conditions. 
• Documentation: Keep specs, AVLs, test protocols, BOMs, and vendor records version-controlled and legible. Write the how-tos so the rest of the team can build on your work.

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field. We'll consider an MS with 6+ years of the experience
• Background  in perovskite solar cells or analogous solution-processed semiconductor chemistry to spec meaningful experiments, read a characterization report critically, and investigate vendor data. You need to have a strong understanding of experimental tools and procedures down to measurements and why it matters.
• Experience directing external technical work - whether labs, vendors, or CMs. You know how to write a clear test protocol, manage a lab relationship, and interpret results.
• Experience managing supplier or manufacturing partnerships: setting specs, running qualification processes, resolving quality issues. 
• Familiarity with standard materials characterization techniques (XRD, SEM/EDS, PL/TRPL, EIS, ICP-MS) at the level needed to select the right measurement, read the output, and catch methodological problems.
• Clear written and verbal communication - with vendors, contract manufacturers, external labs, and internal teammates who aren't chemists.
• Organized and self-directed: you can manage multiple vendor and lab relationships simultaneously without dropping balls.
• Ability to travel for vendor visits, OEM audits, and customer pilots.

• Experience at a thin-film PV, OPV, or OLED company in a scale-up or manufacturing context.
• Hands-on time working alongside a contract manufacturer 
• Familiarity with semiconductor supply chain dynamics, REACH/RoHS compliance, and hazmat handling at scale.
• Outdoor or indoor PV testing experience; familiarity with IEC 61853, IEC 61215, or low-lux harvesting characterization.
• Experience structuring and managing JDAs or technical contracts with suppliers.

• Equity package
• Workspace setup stipend
• Meal stipend
• Unlimited PTO

• Limitless growth opportunity, wear many hats, accelerate a space and have direct impact in your work, as you join and help shape a generational company.
• Own the material qualification and supply chain strategy for a new class of energy-harvesting hardware.
• Work at the intersection of materials science and manufacturing 

This role requires 3-4 days per week in-office in Palo Alto and moderate travel for vendor visits, OEM audits, and customer pilots.

Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications, we still encourage you to apply, as we are growing fast and hire opportunistically.

We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our employees is critical to our success as a company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Selection for employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.