Materials Scientist

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

In this expert role as a 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 R&D 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. 

Key Responsibilities

• Participate in creating a safe working environment.
• Creatively contribute to the R&D team in a positive manner while achieving stretch targets.
• Lead innovative research and development projects for green iron technology in a laboratory and pilot prototyping setting.
• Interface daily with multidisciplinary R&D team including engineers, scientists, project management, workshop trades, and commercial & legal to translate basic research into commercial systems and applications. 
• Lead the development of next generation materials for electrochemical and chemical systems, at lower cost and greater efficiency, with applications into mineral processing and green energy industries.
• Assist in the identification and assessment of materials characterisation, analysis, microscopy and microanalysis technology acquisitions.
• Initiate, negotiate, develop and manage external and internal R&D opportunities
• Make recommendations for new materials technologies in Fortescue projects, and work with engineering teams to develop and implement solutions into manufacturing processes.
• Ensure IP protection of developed methods and processes through translating scientific research into patents.

Qualifications and Experience

• PhD in science/engineering, chemistry, materials science or physics, with materials design or electrochemistry experience.
• Proven research background with 5+ years’ experience in materials science, solid state materials, electrode materials, or similar technology development.
• Experience with materials synthesis, surface modification, electrochemistry, electrolyser development, advanced characterisation techniques and microscopy advantageous.
• Excellent project management and time management. You must be able to work independently, manage a variable workload and have the organisational skills to prioritise and focus on delivering functional products. You will be used to setting priorities and coordinating multiple test programs.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship development skills necessary to deal with internal and external customers. You will be dealing with team members across different cultures, customers, suppliers, operations and other business personnel across a broad spectrum of seniority positions. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, fluent spoken and written English language skills with additional foreign language skills advantageous. 
• Enjoy working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment in collaboration with other like-minded team members and adjacent project teams. 

About Us

Be part of something big. Fortescue is leading the world with our plan to decarbonise our iron ore operations, projects that harness renewable energy and the development of technology that will change our planet forever.

Our Commitment

Fortescue celebrates individual strengths and team members 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. Diverse backgrounds include First Nations Peoples, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ 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.