Also called: Battery Materials Operator, Cathode Production Technician
Runs the mixers, kilns and furnaces that turn nickel, lithium and other metals into the black powder that makes EV batteries work.
You start your 12-hour shift checking the temperature of a long kiln where metal powders bake for hours. You pull samples for the lab to check particle size and chemistry. When a feeder jams, you lock it out, clear it and log the downtime.
Estimated from battery materials plant postings; shift pay adds more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma; plants train operators on the job.
Ways in: On-the-job training, 2-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Chemical Technology, Process Technology, Industrial Maintenance.
Growing about average. A handful of US plants exist; some planned plants were delayed or canceled.
Medium risk for 10 years. Plants are highly automated, but operators still watch equipment, sample product and fix problems.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at battery materials plants for process operator trainee jobs
Classes: Chemistry, Physics, Shop or manufacturing CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.