Job Description

ABOUT AGRATAS Agratas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons. We design, develop and manufacture high-quality, high-performance, sustainable batteries applied to multiple use cases in the mobility and energy sectors, to match our customers’ requirements. Agratas is a scale-up business with a start-up mentality, driven by our pursuit of green growth and technological progress. We develop next-generation battery technologies at our state-of-the-art R&D Innovation Hubs in India and the UK. The Opportunity We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Process Engineer to lead the slurry mixing process in our Li-ion cell manufacturing operations. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing, optimizing, and maintaining the electrode slurry preparation process, ensuring quality, consistency, and production efficiency. A strong understanding of powder handling, flowability, and slurry rheology is essential for success in this role. • Business Expertise: Requires understanding of manufacturing engineering, quality systems, and how different departments (like R&D, supply chain and maintenance) work together. Knowledge of industry trends and competitor technologies is essential. • Problem Solving: Deals with complex issues such as process variability, yield loss, and equipment reliability. Requires analytical thinking, innovation, and adaptability to environmental factors like humidity and material behavior. • Nature & Area of Impact: Directly impacts production efficiency, quality, and cost. Influences the performance of teams and departments, contributing to business goals and overall competitiveness. Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities Process Design & Development: Design and establish scalable slurry mixing processes for cathode and anode materials (e.g., NMC, LFP, graphite). Knowledge of appropriate mixing technologies (e.g., planetary, high-efficiency, double planetary mixers). Define and optimize process parameters: powder feeding sequence, mixing time, RPM, vacuum level, temperature, and material addition order. Apply deep understanding of powder characteristics (flowability, cohesiveness, bulk density, Moisture test, etc) to ensure efficient material transfer and uniform dispersion. Develop the manufacturing process, including the design, control strategy and risk mitigation activity for key areas of the end-to-end production process. Scale-up & Commissioning: Responsible for the scale-up mixing equipment to mass production levels. Collaborate with equipment vendors to ensure effective powder handling and slurry mixing system integration. Support implementation plans and associated actions to ensure compliance with targets for OEE, yield, cycle time and product quality throughout the industrialization lifecycle Process Optimization: Continuously monitor and optimize mixing processes for consistency and efficiency. Apply rheological analysis and slurry flow behaviour studies to maintain desired coating and drying performance. Use data analytics to correlate slurry properties with coating and cell performance. Quality & Control: Ensure batch-to-batch consistency in slurry characteristics such as viscosity, solid content, particle dispersion, and flow behaviour. Implement inline/online monitoring systems for slurry and powder handling parameters. Conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective actions for slurry-related quality deviations. Knowledge, Skills and Experience Essential Ability to assess bulk solids flowability, particle size distribution (PSD), moisture sensitivity and flow function analysis. Familiarity with measuring and interpreting rheology parameters like slurry viscosity, yield stress, modulus and thixotropic behavior using rheometers. Capable of working with in-line sensors such as viscosity probes, pH meters, and density sensors for real-time process adjustments. Competence in using statistical tools (e.g., Minitab, JMP) to analyze process data and troubleshoot variability in powder dosing and slurry mixing. Desired Strong understanding of powder handling, slurry preparation, and chemical mixing processes in cell manufacturing or chemical manufacturing environments Experience with mixing equipment such as planetary mixers, high-shear mixers, and ball mills. Working knowledge of safety standards related to chemical handling and powder processing (e.g., MSDS, ATEX, NFPA) Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills to work effectively with R&D, quality, and production teams Understanding of industry standards for lithium-ion cell manufacturing (e.g., ISO, IATF 16949) Role Specific Qualifications/Certifications Bachelor’s or master’s degree in chemical engineering, Materials Science or a related field 3–10 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably in cell/battery, chemical, FMCG or pharmaceutical industries. Show more Show less