Battery Cell Engineer – Automotive

Work in a cooperative and dynamic team environment to optimize lithium ion battery cell designs for electric vehicles.

Who You Are 

You are an experienced hands-on, team-oriented engineer with an aptitude for learning new things and a desire to share your knowledge with others. In your work at Sila, you will develop and validate cell designs for automotive batteries that contain our silicon anode material. You will come up with ideas for cell design changes that improve performance and test them through internal development experiments and external prototype cell builds. You will be working cross-functionally with our Slurry & Coating, Electrolyte, Battery Deployment, Customer Programs, and Product Management teams so mental flexibility and collaborative problem-solving abilities are required.

Responsibilities & Duties 

• Design, carry out, and analyze experiments and prototype cell builds to advance our understanding of cell design parameters and meet performance targets in a variety of EV cell form factors (wound, stacked, prismatic, cylindrical, etc.)
• Driven by mechanistic understanding of design-performance correlations, identify root causes and propose corrective actions for performance gaps between lab scale and prototype cells
• Work independently to direct projects, effectively prioritize experiments, troubleshoot problems, and drive results to completion
• Effectively document and communicate ideas, expertise, and results internally across diverse Sila teams to collaboratively accomplish cross-functional goals
• Proactively invest in our company values and vision and champion them as we grow

Knowledge & Skill Requirements 

• Knowledge of lithium ion battery cell components, construction, manufacturing processes, and performance metrics
• Experience analyzing battery cell performance data and proposing next steps from it
• Hands-on experimentation and product development skills paired with an analytical ability to evaluate from first-principles understanding
• Comfort with ambiguity; you enjoy figuring out what needs to be done—and then doing it
• Holistic, practical, and well-organized approach to problem solving, driven by curiosity and attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies and improve upon them
• Bachelor’s degree in science or engineering (Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or Chemical Engineering preferred)
• 2+ years of work experience (fewer for candidates with an advanced degree)
• Knowledge of chemistry (organic, polymer, inorganic), electrochemistry and materials science and related characterization techniques is a plus

Physical Demands & Working Conditions 

• Pass a respirator fit test and be able to wear respiratory protection on an occasional basis
• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes
• Move long distances (such as from building to building) and be stationary for extended periods of time
• Reach low shelves or items on the floor
• Operate a computer and other office equipment, such as a laptop, copier/printer, etc in a fixed location