Manager, Materials Characterization

Are you ready to build America’s energy future? Form Energy is an American manufacturing and energy technology company. We’re revolutionizing energy storage with cost-effective, multi-day technology designed to keep the electric grid secure and reliable, even during extended periods of stress. By strengthening the electric system and reimagining what’s possible, we’re giving clean energy a whole new form! In recent years, Form Energy has earned a number of accolades, including being named by TIME as a “Best Invention”, MIT Technology Review as a “Top Climate Tech Company To Watch”, and Fast Company as “One of the Next Big Things In Tech”. We are making rapid progress on our mission of delivering energy storage for a better world, and our team is growing just as rapidly to meet demand. We have signed contracts with leading electric utilities across the United States and production of our iron-air batteries is underway at our first high-volume manufacturing facility in West Virginia. Working for Form Energy is more than just a job, it’s a chance to be part of something extraordinary. And now - right as we significantly scale up battery manufacturing - might be the most exciting moment in the company’s history to join. We are assembling a team of highly talented and driven individuals across the country. Driven by our core values of humanity, excellence, and creativity, our team is determined to deliver on our mission and transform the energy landscape for the better. Feeling energized to make a meaningful impact on the world? Then keep reading - you’ve come to the right place. ROLE DESCRIPTION As the Manager, Materials Characterization, you will play a critical role in leading our internal analytical testing and method development function. Reporting directly into the Reliability Engineering organization, our team drives analytical excellence, failure analysis, and factory method transfers. You will lead a world-class laboratory team in deep partnership with Core Technology, Quality, Design, and Manufacturing teams to accelerate the validation of our breakthrough iron-air battery technology, ensuring global grid reliability and stability. Relocation assistance is available. WHAT YOU'LL DO: - Provide strategic direction and empathetic people leadership to a diverse team from entry-level technicians to senior scientists, establishing clear performance expectations, shielding them from reactive triage, and cultivating a rigorous, high-throughput culture. - Oversee day-to-day lab workflows, sample lifecycle management, and instrument scheduling to achieve predictable turnaround times, optimize throughput, and maintain exceptional data quality. - Champion the creation of novel characterization methods for liquid and solid chemicals and materials, ensuring all methodologies are evaluated for precision-to-tolerance ratios before scaling or transferring to high-volume manufacturing lines. - Continuously evaluate evolving product development timelines to re-prioritize characterization requests, engaging proactively with design and process teams to fill analytical gaps and extract actionable insights for product performance and durability. - Manage the internal laboratory budget, balance routine operational expenditures, forecast resource needs, maintain strong relationships with external vendors, and execute clear ROI analyses on bringing new characterization instruments internal to Form. WHAT YOU'LL BRING: - 8+ years of experience in using and managing advanced material characterization instrumentation (i.e. SEM, FTIR, ICP, XRD) - 3+ years experience in directly leading diversely skilled analytical chemistry, materials science or failure analysis laboratory teams - Proven track record of deploying or managing a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) or equivalent sample/workflow tracking system to optimize laboratory KPIs. - Demonstrated knowledge of industrial metrology concepts, gauge R&R studies, and verifying tool precision