Principal Scientist/Engineer - Battery Materials

Principal Scientist / Engineer - Battery Materials

Permanent | Sedgefield | £49,045 - £65,045

About the Role

CPI is seeking a Principal Scientist / Engineer to join a growing technology team focused on battery materials, process development, and scale-up activities.

This is a senior technical leadership role that combines scientific expertise, project delivery, customer engagement, and capability development. You'll act as a recognised subject matter expert, leading complex technical programmes while helping shape future technology strategy and developing capability across the wider team.

The role would suit either:

A Principal Scientist with experience operating and developing pilot-scale processes and equipment, or

A Principal Engineer with strong industrial experience in battery materials, scale-up, commissioning, and process delivery.Beyond technical expertise, we're looking for someone who can lead projects, influence stakeholders, and potentially develop into a people leadership role as the team continues to grow.

What You'll Be Responsible For:

Technical Leadership

Act as a recognised expert in battery materials and associated technologies

Provide technical leadership across large-scale and complex R&D programmes

Translate technical insight into practical solutions and future technology opportunities

Support the development of technology strategy and future capability plans

Project Delivery & Scale-Up

Lead complex technical projects from concept through to delivery

Oversee pilot-scale activities and process development programmes

Support commissioning, operation, and optimisation of pilot equipment and development facilities

Apply technical expertise to solve challenging real-world engineering and scientific problems

Innovation & Capability Development

Identify emerging technical developments and market opportunities

Support the creation of new technologies, services, and applications

Drive capability building within battery materials and energy storage technologies

Mentor and develop colleagues across the team and wider organisation

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement

Build and maintain relationships with customers, partners, and industry stakeholders

Represent the organisation externally as a technical expert

Support customer meetings, collaborative projects, and business development opportunities

Actively contribute to proposal development and technical bid activities

Collaboration & Leadership

Work closely with commercial, technical, and project management teams

Influence technical direction across multidisciplinary programmes

Contribute to knowledge sharing and capability development across the organisation

Support future team growth and, for the right candidate, develop towards broader people leadership responsibilities

About You:

You are a senior scientist or engineer with strong technical expertise and the ability to lead complex projects in industrial, pilot-scale, or technology development environments.

You'll bring:

Significant industrial experience in battery materials, advanced materials, process development, or related technologies

Experience leading complex technical projects and multidisciplinary activities

Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to deliver innovative solutions

Experience working in pilot-scale, scale-up, commissioning, or development environments

Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

The ability to influence and build relationships across technical and commercial teams

For Principal Scientists:

Experience operating or developing pilot-scale processes and equipment

Strong scientific understanding of battery materials, inorganic chemistry, or related fieldsFor Principal Engineers:

Experience commissioning, operating, and improving pilot or production equipment

Strong understanding of process engineering and industrial scale-up activities

Desirable Experience

Battery materials development

Inorganic chemistry

Electrochemistry

Battery recycling technologies

Pilot plant operations

Battery tear-down and failure analysis

Technology scale-up and commercialisation

Chartered status or progression towards professional accreditation

Why Join CPI?

Opportunity to play a key role in the development of next-generation battery technologies

Influence future capability and technology strategy

Lead high-profile projects with commercial and industrial impact

Work within a collaborative, innovation-focused environment

Competitive salary (£49,045 - £65,045)

Location & Working Pattern

Based in Sedgefield

Permanent position

Hybrid working available depending on project requirements

Frequent engagement with pilot facilities, project teams, and industry partners

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Scientist or Engineer looking to step into a highly influential technical leadership position. You'll work at the intersection of innovation, scale-up, and commercialisation, helping develop new battery technologies while shaping future capability and mentoring the next generation of technical specialists.

Guidant, Carbon60, Lorien & SRG - The Impellam Group Portfolio are acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy