Battery Test Engineer
Palo Alto$125k - $250kFull-timePosted 8mo ago
About the role
Battery Test Engineer to define and own battery validation strategy for vehicle platforms, including safety testing. Not a test execution role; responsible for what to test, success criteria, capability development, and informing product readiness and reliability across electromechanical systems.
Responsibilities
- Define the validation strategy for the system, including what needs to be tested, what good looks like, and sign-off requirements from prototype through production release
- Design test methodologies reflecting real-world conditions, manufacturing variation, and long-term usage across performance, reliability, durability, environmental, and abuse testing for mechanical, electrical, and thermal domains
- Build and bring up prototypes and test hardware, owning instrumentation, debugging, and root-cause analysis when failures occur
- Design fixtures, automation tools, and lab infrastructure to improve test quality, repeatability, and speed
- Analyze test data and translate findings into design actions and program risk assessments
- Partner with Battery Design, BMS, Systems, and Vehicle Engineering to ground validation in real use cases
- Coordinate with external test labs, certification agencies, suppliers, and contract manufacturers for compliance and validation
- Set the standard for rigor, speed, and quality as an early member of a growing test engineering team
Qualifications
- BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
- Ability to bound problems from first principles — electrochemical, thermal, and mechanical
- Experience testing and validating complex electromechanical assemblies (including batteries) with strategy ownership
- Strong hands-on capability building fixtures, instrumenting hardware, debugging, and operating test equipment independently
- Proficiency with lab instrumentation (DAQs, oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads, environmental chambers, sensors) and with Python or MATLAB for test automation and data analysis
- Experience defining validation strategies, writing test plans, and owning production readiness sign-off
- Willingness to travel up to 15% to work with overseas suppliers and on-site validation
- Bonus: Deep understanding of lithium-ion cell behavior and hands-on cell characterization/abuse testing
- Bonus: Familiarity with thermal simulation and battery safety/compliance standards (UN 38.3, UL 1642/1973, SAE J2464)
- Bonus: Background in small EVs or light electric mobility and experience managing external certification labs and regulatory agencies
Skills
Required:Validation strategy designPrototyping & test hardwareLab instrumentation (DAQs, oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads, environmental chambers, sensors)Python or MATLAB for test automation and data analysis
Benefits
- Robust health coverage — health, dental, and vision insurance up to 100%
- One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates
- Rich fertility and family building benefits with Progyny
- Flexible time off
- 401(k) match
Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
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