Forward Deployed Engineer (Batteries)

Polaron is a spin‑out from Imperial College London , founded by Dr Isaac Squires, Dr Steve Kench, and Dr Sam Cooper. Our mission is to harness engineering, artificial intelligence, and materials science to design the materials of the future. We aim to become a world leader at the interface between AI and materials, combining scientific rigor with engineering pragmatism to enable sustainable, high‑performance materials.

Overview

You will join our Delivery function as a Forward Deployed Engineer , owning technical execution across battery‑focused customer and partner workstreams. You will work at the intersection of battery materials, manufacturing, microstructure, and AI—turning real datasets into engineering intelligence, helping customers make better engineering decisions, and feeding high‑signal learnings back into the Polaron product.

Responsibilities

• Pre‑Sale Development: deliver polished technical demos showcasing platform capabilities, assist sales teams by scoping opportunities and preparing proposals, perform bespoke analysis as part of closing contracts.
• Post‑Sale Delivery: high‑quality onboarding to ensure seamless adoption, support on delivering pilot programmes (including project management and technical delivery), support customer retention via feedback sessions, gathering insights, bespoke development, and direct support.
• Collaboration & Representation: act as the bridge between customers and internal teams, influence product roadmaps, represent Polaron at industry events, and create thought leadership content to strengthen our position in materials innovation.
• Battery Workstream Ownership: own end‑to‑end delivery of battery microstructure analyses—from scoping and data readiness through validated results and stakeholder‑ready readouts. Lead technical workstreams within the battery programme, including leading a major grant project.

Snapshot of Your First 6 Months

Month 1 — Take ownership and create momentum

• Take full ownership of delivery planning for a battery research grant project (scope, milestones, stakeholders, reporting cadence).
• Get hands‑on with Polaron's stack and workflows: run end‑to‑end analyses on real battery microstructure datasets and document what \"good\" looks like.

Month 3 — Deliver first value and broaden impact

• Deliver the first tangible outputs for the grant project (e.g., a validated analysis, baseline metrics, or a partner‑ready readout).
• Start owning Forward Deployed workstreams across our battery customers (e.g., demo prep, customer‑specific analysis, partner support).
• Turn learnings into repeatable internal workflows: playbooks, notebooks, validation checks, and clear handoffs to Engineering/AI.

Month 6 — Establish reliable execution at scale

• Operate as a trusted technical advisor in customer/partner calls on battery microstructure, microscopy, and interpretation.
• Lead technical delivery across multiple live industrial projects with leading battery cell manufacturers and OEMs.
• Maintain high‑quality delivery across research and grant programmes.

Requirements

You are a delivery‑oriented battery domain expert who can translate ambiguous goals into a concrete plan, drive execution, and communicate clearly across stakeholders.

• Battery domain depth (cell + materials) : Strong understanding of how cathode material properties and microstructure connect to cell performance and failure modes, and how to reason about trade‑offs in electrode and cell design. Masters degree minimum.
• Microstructure & microscopy fluency : Comfortable working with SEM and microstructure data, spotting when imaging is insufficient, and driving an iterative loop with partners to get usable data and benchmarks.
• Project delivery experience in a multi‑partner consortium : Able to translate project goals into concrete workstreams, milestones, and success metrics, and drive execution with minimal oversight.
• 2+ years battery industry experience or equivalent technical industrial experience .

Bonus Points

• Electrochemical modelling literacy: Comfortable interfacing with modelling teams, understanding parameterisation challenges, and using tools like PyBaMM enough to diagnose issues and unblock progress.
• Manufacturing and process constraints awareness: Experience with electrode processing and manufacturability constraints.
• Startup/entrepreneurial mindset: Demonstrated high agency and bias to action.

Mindset and Values

• Is scientifically curious and thrives on complex, technical challenges.
• Works with low ego and collaborates transparently.
• Enjoys autonomy but knows when to ask questions and seek alignment.
• Has a long‑term mindset: ready to help build a company, not just a product.
• Communicates openly and values shared learning.

Team and Culture

• High trust and ownership.
• Pragmatism over dogma.
• Curiosity, humility, and scientific discipline.
• A strong focus on quality, impact, and long‑term maintainability.

Benefits

• Salary: £55,000 - £70,000 depending on experience.
• Equity: meaningful stock options.
• Holidays: 25 days + 2 festive leave days.
• Perks: gym membership, free barista coffee.
• Location: Shoreditch Exchange (Hoxton, London).

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