Senior Material Scientist

About Us

Fortescue is both a proud West Australian company and a global green solutions business. We are recognised for our culture, innovation and industry-leading development of infrastructure, mining assets and green energy initiatives.

Our Opportunity

Work Location: Balcatta, Perth – Fortescue’s green iron research & development facility is located on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people

Roster: Monday to Friday

12-month fixed term contract or secondment 

In this expert role as a Senior Materials Scientist, you will be a core member of the R&D Minerals team and responsible for the design and development of advanced solutions for green iron electrochemical technology. 

Reporting to the Science Manager and working closely with the science and engineering teams, this is an exciting opportunity to be part of a rapidly expanding and dynamic workplace. Candidates must be able to bring a flexible mindset, challenge traditional thinking, and be prepared to work outside of their comfort zone. 

Qualifications and Experience

• Foster a safe, innovative, and collaborative working environment within the R&D team
• Lead multidisciplinary research and development projects, progressing from laboratory to pilot-scale prototyping
• Leadership and mentoring of junior scientists and engineers, providing technical guidance and fostering professional growth
• Develop and validate materials for electrochemical and chemical systems to optimise performance and cost-efficiency
• Collaborate daily with engineers, scientists, project managers, tradespeople, and commercial teams to translate research into scalable, commercial technologies
• Drive the identification, acquisition, and implementation of advanced materials characterisation and analysis technologies
• Establish and maintain external partnerships, negotiating and managing collaborative R&D initiatives
• Contribute to the intellectual property strategy by translating research outcomes into patents
• Provide expert recommendations on integrating novel materials technologies into commercial manufacturing processes.

Key Responsibilities

• PhD in Materials Science, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or a related discipline, with 8+ years of industry or academic research experience
• Proven expertise in materials design, solid-state materials, or electrochemical systems
• Extensive experience in materials synthesis, surface modification, electrochemistry, or advanced characterisation techniques such as microscopy
• Strong leadership and people skills with a track record of mentoring and developing team members
• Exceptional project management abilities, including coordinating complex programmes and meeting deadlines in dynamic settings
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, with experience collaborating across cultures, disciplines, and seniority levels
• Fluent in spoken and written English; additional language skills advantageous
• Passion for innovation and sustainability, with a proven ability to adapt and deliver in a fast-paced environment.

Our Commitment

Fortescue is deeply committed to providing a safe culture that builds respect, fosters inclusiveness, and values diversity. We celebrate individual strengths and team members from all backgrounds are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. Our global workforce drives and promotes an inclusive culture, both within our organisation and throughout the communities we interact with across the world. Diverse backgrounds include First Nations Peoples, people with differing abilities, LGBTIQ+ community, gender, neurodiverse, cultural diversity, all age groups, and those with an intersectional or multiple diverse characteristics. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

https://fortescue.com/careers 

Internal Candidates / Current Contractors please apply via Success Factors Careers Portal. For further information on how to apply please visit the Fortescue Hub. 

Fortescue reserves the right to close applications early should a suitable pool of candidates be identified. Fortescue will never contact you to ask for payment of any kind, whether directly or through a third party.