Development Test Engineer, Battery (Starship Electronics)

SpaceX
Hawthorne, CA
On-siteCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

Geared toward mid-level electrical engineers comfortable with pushing battery technologies to failure limits in a multidisciplinary test environment.

Best fit for

  • Electrical engineers with hands-on test stand design and automation experience.
    — “Create test stand concepts, fabrication drawings, wiring schematics
  • Candidates adept at Python or MATLAB for test data analysis.
    — “1+ years of programming experience using Python, MATLAB
  • Professionals comfortable with physical assembly and heavy lifting.
    — “Ability to lift heavy harnesses and fixtures (~50 lbs)

Things to consider

  • Requires availability for extended hours and weekend work.
    — “Must be able to work extended hours and weekend
  • US citizenship or permanent residency is mandatory due to ITAR.
    — “applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national

How to stand out

  • Showcase specific projects where you designed test automation systems.
    — “Write automation and analysis software to collect and interpret data
  • Highlight experience with battery failure modes or thermal testing.
    — “A desire to learn about battery cell failure modes
  • Demonstrate CAD proficiency through detailed project examples.
    — “Solid modeling experience with parametric CAD
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · TeamLevel · Junior

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • battery qualification
  • test stand development
  • product reliability
Typical background
electrical engineeringautomationprogramming

Skills & requirements

Required

Battery TestingElectrical EngineeringAutomationProgrammingData Analysis

Preferred

Battery Failure ModesThermal Runaway TestingElectrical Circuit Design

About the role

Original posting from SpaceX via Greenhouse

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

DEVELOPMENT TEST ENGINEER, BATTERY (STARSHIP ELECTRONICS) 

Join the Starship Electronics team to characterize and qualify batteries cell technologies for our next negation vehicles. Working in concert with the Inverter and Battery design teams, you will identify the operating environment under which cells need to perform, often pushing the hard past its rated capabilities to failure. In this role, you will perform a variety of testing from purely electrical such as EIS, to multi-displinary setups such as thermal runaway testing.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Create test stand concepts, fabrication drawings, wiring schematics, and instrumentation lists

Write automation and analysis software to collect and interpret data from the variety of setups

Supervise the integration of test stands including fabrication, mechanical assembly, and data/control systems

Operate test stands with great attention to detail as the tests have very little margin for error, making attention to detail crucial and essential

Work with REs to fully understand the parameters under which their hardware needs to operate

Work closely with and consistently provide feedback to responsible design engineers, manufacturing engineers, and test lab teams to drive innovation in design and infrastructure to increase product reliability

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, or an engineering discipline

1+ years of experience with electronic hardware development or software development (academic projects, internships, and traditional professional experience all qualify)

1+ years of programming experience using Python, MATLAB, or Embedded C/C++

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Electrical circuit design and manufacturing including layout

Solid modeling experience with parametric CAD

Proficient with programming languages, especially python

High attention to detail when designing and operating complex tests

A desire to learn about battery cell failure modes

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Must be able to work extended hours and weekend when necessary

Ability to lift heavy harnesses and fixtures (~50 lbs)

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:       

Level I: $100,000.00 - $115,000.00/per year            

Level II: $110,000.00 - $135,000.00/per year           

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.  

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com. 

Source: SpaceX careers (Greenhouse)

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