R&D Process Engineer

About the role

Join AQUABATTERY, a pioneering climatetech startup with a mission to commercialise an affordable, safe and sustainable long duration energy storage (LDES) based on saltwater. Our innovative flow battery technology offers an LDES solution without relying on critical or toxic raw materials.

With fresh funding secured and our first commercial product on the horizon, this is an exciting time to become part of our growing team and contribute to building a cleaner, more resilient energy future.

As an R&D Process Engineer, you will lead and structure R&D work to deepen system understanding and translate it into clear technical direction.

This role is focused on generating insights through experimentation, defining and executing R&D projects, and connecting results across disciplines. You will play a key role in understanding how the system behaves, how different parameters influence performance, how this translates into product and engineering decisions, and build and own functional system models.

What you’ll be doing

• Develop a deep understanding of the system, including interactions between parameters, subsystems, and operating conditions
• Define, structure, and lead R&D projects to investigate system behavior and performance drivers
• Design and oversee experiments, ensuring results are reliable, interpretable, and connected to broader system questions
• Translate experimental findings and observations into clear insights and system-level understanding
• Use modeling (e.g. Python or similar tools) where needed to structure insights and estimate system performance
• Analyze the impact of ongoing R&D projects on overall system performance and product direction
• Assess how multiple stacks function together and identify system-level constraints and scaling effects
• Support trade-off decisions by providing structured, data-driven input
• Contribute to product and technology roadmap decisions by clarifying expected outcomes, risks, and uncertainties
• Collaborate closely with R&D and product teams to align priorities and ensure effective execution

We expect from you:

• ~5 years of relevant experience in R&D, process engineering, or system engineering roles
• Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering or a closely related field (e.g. energy engineering, applied physics)
• Experience defining and executing experimental R&D projects
• Ability to translate complex experimental results into structured insights and conclusions
• Experience working with complex physical or electrochemical systems
• Some experience with modeling tools (e.g. Python, MATLAB) to support analysis and performance estimation
• Experience leading or coordinating small teams or projects
• Strong analytical thinking and ability to connect theory, experiments, and system-level behavior

About our company

AQUABATTERY is a climate-tech start-up, based in the Netherlands. Our vision is to empower the transition to net-zero by providing the world’s most scalable, sustainable and safe long duration energy storage solution. We do so through our revolutionary technology, which enables the storage of electricity in just saltwater. The world will need high volumes of energy storage to enable reliance on renewable energy sources like solar PV and wind energy, even if the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow. Our technology has been successfully demonstrated through several pilot installations in the Netherlands and in Italy. Our international team reinforces our impact-focused culture every day, taking on challenges and celebrating successes together.