engineering applied sciencebalance of plantelectrochemistryfuel cellspem stacks
Complete evaluation framework
What to assess and how to score it
Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.
01
Evaluation factor
Technical depth
35% weight
Probe depth on PEM or SOFC stack behaviour: MEA and GDL selection, catalyst loading, polarisation curves, EIS, water and thermal management, humidifier and compressor balance of plant sizing.
Evidence to listen for
Explains the physics or mechanism behind their work, not just the tooling
Names the standards, tolerances, and constraints they designed against
Can defend a design decision under follow-up questions
Distinguishes what they personally engineered from what the team delivered
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Cannot explain the fundamentals of their own stated specialism.
2
Needs Improvement
Knows the vocabulary but not the underlying mechanism; struggles under follow-ups.
3
Satisfactory
Solid working knowledge for the role; depth thins out on edge cases.
4
Very Good
Strong command of the domain; explains trade-offs and defends decisions well.
5
Excellent
Explains polarisation loss breakdown, cites specific membrane and catalyst choices, and links flooding or dry-out symptoms to measured cell voltage data.
02
Evaluation factor
Work that shipped
30% weight
Ask what stacks or systems reached hardware: kW rating, duty cycle, hours on test, whether it entered a vehicle, backup power unit, or customer demonstrator.
Evidence to listen for
Names specific programmes, parts, or systems that reached production or field use
States their own scope inside the project
Can give measured outcomes: yield, cycle time, cost, failure rate
Explains what went wrong and what they changed
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No delivered work; experience is coursework, lab-only, or purely observational.
2
Needs Improvement
Contributed to projects but cannot say what shipped or what their part was.
3
Satisfactory
Has delivered real work; outcomes described without numbers.
4
Very Good
Names shipped work and their scope, with some measured results.
5
Excellent
Names shipped systems with power output, runtime hours, degradation rate per 1000 hours, and their own scope within the build.
03
Evaluation factor
Diagnosis under uncertainty
20% weight
Test how they chased down cell voltage spread, membrane pinholes, contamination poisoning from CO or sulphur, freeze start failures, or unexplained stack degradation on the bench.
Evidence to listen for
Describes a real failure they chased to root cause
Shows a method: isolate variables, reproduce, measure, eliminate
Distinguishes correlation from cause
Says what they ruled out and why, not only what the answer turned out to be
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No diagnostic method; guesses or escalates immediately.
2
Needs Improvement
Trial and error with no structure; cannot explain how they narrowed the cause.
3
Satisfactory
Reasonable method on familiar problems; less structured on novel ones.
4
Very Good
Clear systematic approach with a real root-cause story.
5
Excellent
Walks through a real failure using segmented cell data, teardown findings, or post-mortem MEA analysis before naming a root cause.
04
Evaluation factor
Working across the org
15% weight
Check work with controls, hydrogen safety and leak detection reviews, supplier qualification of stacks or BoP parts, and compliance work against ISO 22734, SAE J2579, or ATEX zoning.
Evidence to listen for
Explains technical constraints to non-technical stakeholders without condescension
Has negotiated scope, cost, or timeline with manufacturing, product, or suppliers
Documents decisions so others can act on them
Takes review feedback without defensiveness
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Cannot communicate outside their specialism; dismissive of other functions.
2
Needs Improvement
Communication gaps cause rework; avoids stakeholder contact.
3
Satisfactory
Works adequately with other teams; documentation is thin.
4
Very Good
Communicates clearly across functions; reliable collaborator.
5
Excellent
Describes coordinating test rig safety cases, supplier design reviews, and controls handover with specific standards and named counterparts.
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