Corporate Positions Archives

Head of Recycling

Covington, GA

Ascend Elements (AE) is revolutionizing the production of lithium-ion battery materials by establishing a clean and sustainable supply chain using recycled feedstock. Its patented Hydro-to-Cathode™ technology directly synthesizes new cathode materials from spent lithium-ion cells more efficiently than traditional methods, resulting in reduced cost, improved performance, and lowered GHG emissions. The results are lower cost, better performance batteries with fewer discarded in landfill, a cleaner manufacturing process, and a truly sustainable closed-loop circular battery economy. Ascend Elements is taking the lithium-ion battery industry to a higher level.

Driven by the legislation in US and North America and general drive for sustainability within the automotive sector AE is seeing a dramatic growth in new business & strategic collaboration opportunities. We are seeking a dynamic and strategic leader to serve as the Head of Recycling. This position will lead all recycling operations across North America and Europe, including oversight of AE’s joint venture in Europe. The role will be responsible for full P&L management, feedstock sourcing, byproduct sales, strategic planning, import/export compliance and permitting and expansion initiatives, including M&A and investments.

This position reports to the SVP Commercial.

Primary Responsibilities

Build and manage a high performing team that effectively operates within a matrix organization throughout AE and affiliated entities.

Oversee the implementation of recycling operations processes.

Generate and leverage a network of relationships with EOL battery collectors and production scrap decision makers.

Deliver profitable and stable stream of feedstock for US and EU operations.

Develop by-product off-take arrangements and contracts.

Develop and execute a strategy for recycling operations growth.

Oversee operations in NA and EU, including delivering and reporting P&L.

Develop and maintain permitting compliance for hazardous material (feedstock and Black Mass) shipments between NA, EU and Asia regions.

Develop and execute business and financial models.

Lead or support negotiations for key commercial agreements, including feedstock supply, byproduct offtake, partnerships, and service contracts.

Work with the strategy team to support expansion activities including Joint Ventures and M&A initiatives.

Lead annual budgeting and long-term revenue forecasting.

Qualifications & Experience:

Extensive experience in a business development leadership role within battery material or battery recycling sector.

Demonstrated success in feedstock sourcing and byproduct commercialization.

Experience with regulatory permitting, logistics, and supply chain optimization.

Proven experience with full P&L ownership and operational scaling.

Skilled in contract negotiation and developing commercial agreements.

Experience with financial modeling, business case development, and strategic planning.

Knowledge of M&A processes and investment evaluation preferred.

Hands-on, detailed oriented leader who promotes a lean culture oriented towards action and results delivery.

Experience developing and managing a team in an ever-changing environment.

Experience and track record of performance for a start-up / scale up organization would be an advantage.

Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in an occasionally high-pressure environment.

Proactive, solution-orientation with exceptional judgment and creativity. Ability to think strategically, appropriately weighing commercial, financial and business objectives.

Experience collaborating across departments (operations, sales, R&D, and supply chain) to ensure operational goals align with recycling strategy.

Excellent oral and written communication, as well as interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.

Work Environment

Fast-paced, hands-on, start-up type environment.

Frequent travel throughout North America and occasional travel to Europe. (25-30%)

Ascend Elements is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Quality Engineer

Westborough, MA

JOB TITLE: Quality Engineer

JOB LOCATION: Westborough, Massachusetts. REMOTE EMPLOYMENT IS NOT AN OPTION.

REQUIRED TRAVEL: Domestic and international travel up to 25%.

REQUIRED HOURS: Full-time.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Quality Engineer will work closely with external and internal customers to monitor and improve quality of operational processes and final products. The Quality Engineer will be responsible for designing quality standards, inspecting materials, and assist in developing quality control procedures.

REQUIRED DUTIES:

Work closely with cross functional teams in generation of communication packages required for customer report outs.

Create and maintain PPAP documentation.

Provide technical and quality expertise to support risk mitigation activities (DFMEA, PFMEA, Control Plan).

Serve as a strong lead to ensure robust processes and compliance with customer specific requirements as well as ISO 9001 & IATF 16949.

Conduct analysis of process data using various statistical methodology to assess linkages of product and process characteristics to Quality Metrics.

Serve as a lead and support to implement Quality Management System.

Perform audits of Operations and Supplier processes to assure compliance.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering Management or a closely related field (foreign equivalent is acceptable), plus a minimum of 2 years of professional experience in quality assurance/quality engineering (QA/QE).

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Demonstrated knowledge in PLM (Product Life Cycle Management).

Demonstrated knowledge in NPI (New Product Introduction).

Demonstrated knowledge in Document Control.

Demonstrated knowledge in Customer Engagement and Resource Management.

Demonstrated knowledge of quality problem-solving tools (8D, 5 why’s, Ishikawa, RCA) and quality disciplines such as Six Sigma, PPAP, APQP, FMEA, Control Plans, MSA, SPC.

Demonstrated employment or internship experience in analyzing and reporting of data analysis trends using data modelling tools such as Power BI, Tableau, Qlik Sense.

Demonstrated employment or internship experience effectively communicating; troubleshooting; conducting data analysis, and handling customer service.

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Must be a “Trained Six Sigma Green Belt” with credentials from a professional association.

Must be a “Trained Six Sigma Black Belt” with credentials from a professional association.

Construction Quality Manager

Hopkinsville, KY

Ascend Elements is revolutionizing the production of lithium-ion battery materials by establishing a clean and sustainable supply chain using recycled feedstock. Its patented Hydro-to-Cathode™ technology directly synthesizes new cathode materials from spent lithium-ion cells more efficiently than traditional methods, resulting in reduced cost, improved performance, and lowered GHG emissions. The results are lower cost, better performance batteries with fewer discarded in landfills, a cleaner manufacturing process, and a truly sustainable closed-loop circular battery economy. Ascend Elements is taking the lithium-ion battery industry to a higher level.

We are currently hiring a Construction Quality Manager that will be responsible for developing, implementing, and managing quality programs for large-scale capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects in the battery materials industry. This role ensures that all construction activities comply with project specifications, industry and quality standards, and regulatory requirements, safeguarding the integrity and performance of critical process facilities.

Location: Hopkinsville, Kentucky

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

Quality Management Program Development

Establish and maintain a Project Quality Management Plan (QMP) to align with corporate and project-specific quality objectives.

Define quality control procedures, inspection protocols, and documentation standards based on chemical process industry codes (e.g., ASME, API, ASTM, ANSI, ACI).

Comply with environmental, health, safety, and process safety management (PSM) regulations.

Inspection & Verification

Oversee quality inspections across civil, structural, mechanical, piping, electrical, and instrumentation scopes.

Ensure that inspection and test plans (ITPs) are implemented by contractors and all inspection hold points, witness points, and testing requirements are fulfilled.

Coordinate and verify material certification, welding procedures (WPS/PQR/WQT), NDE/NDT activities, hydrostatic testing, and equipment installation to meet process safety and quality requirements.

Coordinate Materials and Equipment inspections upon arrival at the job site.

Quality Assurance & Non-Conformance Management

Conduct quality audits of contractors, subcontractors, and vendors to verify compliance with project quality standards.

Manage the Non-Conformance Reporting (NCR) process, facilitating timely investigation, root cause analysis, and implementation of corrective/preventive actions (CAPA).

Support management of change (MOC) processes impacting construction quality.

Documentation & Turnover

Maintain accurate and complete quality documentation and records for project deliverables, including welding maps, inspection reports, material traceability logs, testing certificates, and punch lists.

Oversee preparation of the Mechanical Completion (MC) and Turnover Dossier/Quality Dossier to support pre-commissioning, commissioning, and handover to operations.

Stakeholder Coordination & Leadership

Liaise with engineering, procurement, construction management (EPCM), operations, and safety teams to align on quality requirements.

Lead quality meetings, pre-installation reviews, and contractor onboarding sessions.

Provide quality training and coaching to project personnel to promote a proactive quality culture.

Support conversations with local, state, and federal regulators and/or authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) to obtain permits and other approvals, as needed.

Coordinate with the procurement and finance teams to manage the project within budget.

Support resolution of quality-related issues impacting cost, schedule, and safety.

Education and Other Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Civil, Chemical, or related discipline), Construction Management, or equivalent technical field.

Minimum 8+ years of quality management experience in large CAPEX construction projects, with at least 3 years in the chemical/petrochemical, refining, or process industries.