Engineering

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 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.

The Senior Process Automation and Control Engineer of the Company reports to the Covington Engineering Lead or Site Manager with dotted line to the Central Engineering team. In such position, the Employee shall work on the Company’s core cathode materials remaking technology, including designing, implementing, and maintaining process instrumentation and control equipment at the Covington, GA site. This will involve developing robust processes with automation and control planning from conception and following through lab, pilot, and commercial scale-up to ensure quality in automation while achieving consistency and agility in scaling up of new process technologies.

Tasks & responsibilities:

• Provide process automation technical leadership for capital projects, including technical specification and standard creation, vendor selection and qualification, instrumentation and control system design review and approval, FAT, SAT, installation, commissioning, startup, and process optimization.


• Interface with EPC firms and construction contractors to effectively design and execute plant automation and data management systems.


• Develop control strategies with Materials and Process Engineers. Includes assisting in selection of process equipment, specifying instrumentation and controls equipment, control panel design, programming, and commissioning.


• Build and implement company control infrastructure and plant control systems to include databases, SCADA, PLC, HMI, OT Network, and vision/motion control.


• Maintain and provide troubleshooting support for commercial production facilities.


• Ensure robust inventory of controls equipment is maintained. Think out of box to reduce impacts of long lead time items in current supply chain and enable swift execution of commissioning and maintaining facilities.


• Additional responsibilities may include but are not limited to: Design review for future pilot and commercial facilities (P&ID), working with quality in selecting and integrating SPC into automation as needed, and other production data tracking and integration for process control improvements & increasing safety and automation at pilot & production facilities.


• Meet all physical requirements of the positions: walking/standing for extended periods of time, working in both lab and office, travelling in some cases to other Ascend Elements facilities and conference.


• Excellent in both written and oral languages. Summarize data and report project progress regularly.


• Selecting and commissioning control equipment.


• Liaise IT team and contractor on providing enterprise production data reporting and analysis to corporate management.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering. Preferably Chemical Engineering. Electrical, Automation or Mechanical Engineering degrees are also considered.


• >5 years’ experience developing automation & control in hands-on chemical process manufacturing.


• Proficient in programming Siemens, Allen-Bradly, or similar PLC’s and HMI’s.


• Experience in reviewing P&ID’s and working through controls logic with Chemical Engineers.


• Experience with Control panel design and low voltage electrical system


• Experience, judgement, and technical knowledge to drive data-based decisions


• Skilled user of MS office tools including Word, EXCEL, Outlook, Project, Autocad


• Knowledge of control system design for performance material or similar manufacturing process, and ability to read, interpret and generate engineering drawings and specifications


• Experience with electrical troubleshooting and terminating low voltage controls wiring.


• Knowledge of Databases, Networking, and SCADA’s.


• Other duties and responsibilities consistent with the Employees position


• Ability to travel domestically and internationally

Preferred Candidates have:

• More than 8 years’ experience developing automation & control in process manufacturing.


• Experience with MES, SPC for automation.


• Leading and building teams of controls engineers & technicians.


• Experience with Battery Materials manufacturing.


• Passion for improving closed loop battery materials recycling technology.

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.