Job Description:
1. Test Strategy & Execution
- Define and execute testing protocols with scientific rigor: establish electrochemistry-grounded hypotheses, design tests to validate or refute them, and quantify all findings (degradation rates, failure mechanisms, performance bounds) while documenting analytical-technique limitations.
- Use DFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) as the primary framework for test plan development, ensuring every failure mode has a detection method and test protocol that validates the reliability roadmap.
- Document all test decisions with scientific and cost rationale, avoiding trial-and-error.
2. Infrastructure & Lab Management
- Oversee design, procurement, and scaling of testing facilities and test benches (hardware, electrical, fluidic, and safety systems).
- Establish testing facility operational targets: uptime, data quality, cost per test hour, and capability maturity.
- Ensure all safety aspects are considered during procurement and deployment of testing equipment.
3. Data & Diagnostics
- Implement and manage advanced diagnostics—Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Cell Voltage Monitoring (CVM)—to analyze performance and map degradation.
- Establish data-quality standards and ensure test data feeds structured analysis pipelines for reliability and design teams.
4. Failure Analysis & Root Cause
- Lead root-cause analysis (RCA) and post-mortem investigations on test articles to identify failure modes and improve stack design.
- Translate test findings into actionable engineering conclusions with documented hypothesis validation.
5. Team Leadership & Development
- Build and mentor a high-performing team of engineers and scientists specializing in electrochemical testing and diagnostics.
- Build a team culture of quantified reasoning, structured technical discourse, and ownership accountability.
- Establish regular technical deep-dive forums where hypotheses are tested, data interpreted rigorously, and design implications debated openly.
6. Communication & Technical Rigor
- Lead structured technical discussions with clear agendas, documented outcomes, and full team participation.
- Set a regular cadence: staff meetings focused on technical deep dives (not status updates); cross-functional syncs with R&D, Manufacturing, and Product; and DFMEA/PFMEA reviews in structured forums.
- Communicate technical decisions and rationale in writing so the team sees the reasoning and can provide input.
- Communicate timelines with specific dates and contingencies, not vague terms like 'soon,' 'ASAP,' or 'next month.'
7. Ownership & Accountability
- Own all aspects of your domain—infrastructure, timelines, staffing, and budgets—with full transparency about achievements and setbacks.
- Communicate with conviction backed by data; when challenges arise, escalate early with clear context rather than hoping to catch up later.
- Model the principle: 'We will not just do our best, we will get things done.'
8. Timeline Management & Execution
- Set realistic timelines with built-in contingency, substantiating any schedule changes with root-cause analysis.
- Track action items rigorously and escalate proactively when setbacks occur or resources are needed.
9. Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with the Stack Reliability Director on test findings and design implications. Sync regularly with R&D on test requirements, Manufacturing on production readiness, and Product on roadmap alignment.
- Present all findings in structured technical forums with quantified data, not in side conversations.
- Feed diagnostics and test data to the Reliability team for RCA and design feedback.
10. Economic Awareness & Cost Transparency
- Integrate cost and lifecycle economic analysis into technical decisions.
- When proposing infrastructure, facility scaling, or component upgrades, include component-level cost breakdowns and sensitivity analyses.
- Ensure $/performance metrics include unit-cost context to prevent misinterpretation if supplier pricing changes.
Qualifications
- B.Tech/M.Tech in Chemical, Materials Science, Metallurgy, or Electrochemistry with 15+ years in electrolyzer stack, battery or fuel cell testing.
- Deep expertise in electrochemistry, characterization techniques (CV, LSV, EIS), testing protocols, safety, and regulatory compliance for electrolyzer/battery systems.
- Proven track record directing engineering teams, interfacing with cross-functional R&D, and managing test-lab budgets.
- Strong data analysis skills, proficiency with reliability tools and statistical software (Minitab, JMP, or equivalent).
- Exceptional communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
- Sound judgment on the limits of diagnostic and characterization tools—avoiding over-interpretation beyond their technical scope.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience building and scaling testing facilities from concept through operational maturity.
- Track record of systematizing team processes and driving measurable improvements.
- Evidence of teaching others scientific reasoning and hypothesis-driven engineering, not just managing tasks.
- Experience with DFMEA and PFMEA methodologies applied to test strategy development.
- Familiarity with renewable energy or electrochemical energy storage systems.
Leadership Philosophy & Cultural Fit
This role requires comfort with:
- Quantified decision-making: decisions backed by data, not opinions.
- Structured communication: technical rigor in staff meetings, written rationale for changes.
- Ownership accountability: transparent reporting of both progress and setbacks.
- Avoiding hope-based planning: planning contingencies, escalating early, not assuming success.
- Continuous scientific learning: staying current on electrochemistry, diagnostics, and failure mechanisms specific to PEM electrolyzers.
This role will not be successful if the candidate:
- Prefers 'best effort' over systematic, accountable delivery, or communicates vaguely on timelines.
- Treats technical deep dives as status meetings, or avoids escalating problems until they become critical.
- Resists decisions on incomplete information, or defaults to trial-and-error over hypothesis-driven engineering.
Success Metrics (18-Month Horizon)
- Qualification plan completed on schedule with documented scientific basis and RCA traceability.
- Facility maturity: >90% uptime, ≥95% data quality, cost per test hour on target.
- Team capability: all reports can independently design test protocols with scientific hypotheses and DFMEA integration.
- RCA closure rate: >85% of design changes traced to root cause; zero high-safety incidents, all protocols audited annually.
As Director of Stack Testing, you will lead the design, execution, and continuous improvement of testing strategies for PEM electrolyzer stacks, guiding testing strategy, facility scaling, and team operations to ensure safe, high-efficiency hydrogen production across our PEM electrolyzer platform.
You will set the standard for scientific rigor, grounding strategies in electrochemical first-principles, ensuring every test has a testable hypothesis, and maintaining strict accountability for deliverables and timelines. You will own your domain completely, from testing protocols and facility infrastructure to team development and budget.
Ohmium is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
