Director - Stack Reliability

Job Description

As a senior engineering and technology leader, you will own the long-term reliability, durability, safety, and performance of PEM electrolyzer stacks-bridging early R&D and commercial-scale manufacturing for systems that must withstand harsh dynamic conditions, frequent start-stop cycles and fluctuating renewable power. You will own the reliability strategy from design through manufacturing, grounded in electrochemical first-principles and driving DFMEA/PFMEA as primary design tools not afterthought compliance checkboxes.

Key Responsibilities

• Define the reliability roadmap and targets for stack life, degradation rate and availability, grounded in electrochemical first-principles, spearhead Design for Reliability (DfR) and Manufacturability (DfM) across all stack generations.
• Make DFMEA/PFMEA primary tools (not afterthoughts), linking each failure mode to a test or design control, quantify all reliability claims with documented analytical basis.
• Design accelerated life testing (ALT) protocols and oversee the DVP&R to validate stack components under varied transient loads, pressures and temperatures.
• Implement stack diagnostics (EIS, Cyclic Voltammetry) to monitor decay and find root causes, while respecting the limits of each characterization tool and avoiding over-interpretation.
• Lead structured technical discussions, own root cause analysis on test data from the Testing Director and translate field feedback into design changes with closed-loop tracking.
• Collaborate with Materials Science on membrane, catalyst, and GDL resilience and with Manufacturing/Supply Chain on FAI and IQC metrics tied to reliability.
• Establish a regular communication cadence (technical deep-dives, cross-functional syncs, DFMEA/PFMEA reviews), communicate decisions in writing with supporting data and specific timelines-never vague terms like 'soon' or 'ASAP.'
• Own your full domain-roadmap, qualification plans, design changes, timelines, staffing and budgets-with transparency on both wins and setbacks, escalate early with clear context.
• Set realistic timelines with built-in contingency, plan alternate approaches rather than assuming success and document timeline decisions and their reasoning.
• Integrate cost and lifecycle economics into design decisions, including component-level cost breakdowns and sensitivity analyses, so $/reliability metrics carry unit-cost context.

Required Qualifications

• B.Tech/M.Tech in Chemical, Materials Science, Metallurgy, or Electrochemistry with a minimum 15+ years of experience in electrolyzer stack development, batteries or fuel cell development.
• Deep knowledge in electrochemical characterization techniques (CV, LSV, EIS), electrochemical degradation mechanisms, safety protocols, and regulatory compliance for electrolyzer/batteries.
• Proven ability to bridge engineering and operational teams to drive measurable product improvements.
• Strong data analysis skills, proficiency with reliability tools and statistical software (Minitab, JMP, or equivalent).
• Exceptional communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Understand the limits of diagnostic and characterization tools (EIS, CV, electron microscopy, etc.). Know what each tool can and cannot reliably tell you. Avoid over-interpreting results beyond their technical scope.

Preferred Qualifications

• Track record of systematizing reliability processes and driving measurable improvements across teams.
• Evidence of teaching others scientific reasoning and hypothesis-driven engineering, not just managing tasks.
• Extensive experience with DFMEA and PFMEA methodologies applied to design and manufacturing processes.
• Field experience with deployed electrochemical systems and real-world degradation analysis.
• 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 design 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, degradation mechanisms, and characterization techniques.

This role will not be successful if the candidate:

• Prefers 'best effort' over systematic, accountable delivery.
• Communicates vaguely on timelines ('soon,' 'ASAP,' 'next week' instead of specific dates).
• Treats technical deep dives as status meetings.
• Avoids escalating problems until they become critical.
• Resists making decisions with incomplete information (needs 'perfect' data, not 'good enough').
• Defaults to trial-and-error approaches instead of hypothesis-driven, first-principles engineering.

Success Metrics (18-Month Horizon)

• DfR roadmap completed with quantified targets (e.g., 80k-hour stack life, <5% degradation/year) and documented first-principles basis.
• ALT protocols designed and validated for ???2 product generations, integrated into qualification plans with hypothesis validation.
• Design changes driven by field data with documented root cause analysis and closed-loop corrective action tracking (>80% closure rate).
• Team execution of DFMEA/PFMEA: zero 'checkbox' artifacts; all failure modes linked to verification methods with clear traceability.
• Qualification plans approved by cross-functional leadership and baseline-lined with clear success criteria.

Ohmium is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.