Senior Battery Test and Validation Engineer

Redwood Materials
San Francisco, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Battery engineers with hands-on electrochemical testing experience and a drive for automation will find this on-site role in the energy transition domain

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 3+ years in battery testing and a focus on lithium-ion systems
    — “Minimum 3 years of experience”
  • Individuals who can innovate test methods and automate processes efficiently
    — “Deep drive to automate workflows and reduce manual processes”
  • Engineers with strong technical intuition and data analysis skills for battery characterization
    — “Strong intuition for lithium-ion cell behavior... degradation mechanisms”

Things to consider

  • This role requires full-time on-site presence at 100 Hooper
    — “This is a fully on-site role at 100 Hooper”
  • The role involves managing multiple battery test campaigns simultaneously
    — “Execute and manage concurrent test and screening campaigns”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with Arbin, Maccor, or Neware battery cyclers in your resume
    — “Experience with battery cycler platforms (e.g., Arbin, Maccor, Neware)”
  • Showcase projects where you optimized test matrices or developed automation scripts
    — “Innovate on test methodology... developing automation scripts”
  • Demonstrate your ability to translate abstract performance questions into test protocols
    — “Design test protocols by translating high-level performance and compliance questions”
  • Emphasize your ability to communicate complex test results to non-technical stakeholders
    — “Analyze, interpret, and present test data to both technical and non-technical stakeholders”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

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

What success looks like

  • Design and execute battery characterization programs
Typical background
BS or MS in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Materials, Electrical)

Skills & requirements

Required

Battery TestingElectrochemical CharacterizationPythonMatlabBattery Cycler PlatformsRoot Cause Analysis

Preferred

Battery AlgorithmsSoftware Automation

Stack & domain

Battery CharacterizationTest ProtocolsBattery TestingBattery ValidationBattery SystemsBattery ModelsBattery AlgorithmsBattery Cycler PlatformsBattery SoftwareBattery Data EngineeringBattery InfrastructureBattery Equipment StrategyBattery Channel Capacity PlanningBattery Test ProgrammingBattery Test TroubleshootingBattery Data AnalysisBattery ScriptingBattery Automation ScriptsBattery Software AutomationBattery Cycle Life TestingBattery HPPCBattery EISBattery Dq/dv AnalysisBattery PythonBattery MatlabBattery ArbinBattery MaccorBattery NewareBattery CommunicationBattery CollaborationBattery Systems EngineeringBattery Algorithms EngineeringBattery Compliance TeamsBattery Program ManagersLithium-ion BatterySecond-life BatteryData CentersEnergy TransitionCritical MineralsBattery RecyclingBattery Supply ChainBattery TechnologyBattery Operational ScaleBattery PerformanceBattery ComplianceBattery System-level QuestionsBattery Test ProtocolsBattery Test MatricesBattery Channel AllocationsBattery TimelinesBattery Lab InfrastructureBattery EquipmentBattery Channel Capacity

About the role

Original posting from Redwood Materials via Greenhouse

About Redwood Materials

Redwood Materials was founded in 2017 by JB Straubel, co-founder and former CTO of Tesla, on a simple but radical idea: the critical minerals powering the energy transition already exist. They just need to come back. Today Redwood is the largest lithium-ion battery recycler in North America — recovering, refining, and redeploying critical minerals from end-of-life batteries back into the supply chain. On the energy side, Redwood has deployed the largest second-life battery project in the world, delivering power to AI data centers in months rather than years using proprietary energy architecture engineered entirely in-house. The company is profitable, the market it operates in is projected to grow 20 to 50 times over the next decade, and Redwood is the only company with the supply chain, the technology, and the operational scale to lead it.

Position Summary: 

The Senior Battery Test and Validation Engineer owns and runs Redwood's battery characterization program and serves as the technical authority on what gets tested, how, and why. This is a fully on-site role at 100 Hooper. The role translates open-ended performance, compliance, and system-level questions into test protocols and delivers data-driven answers that inform pack qualification decisions. This role sits at the center of understanding how second-life battery systems for data centers behave across varied cell chemistries, form factors, and usage histories, generating the foundational data that feeds site operating parameters, battery models, and algorithms. This is an on-site role. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Design test protocols by translating high-level performance and compliance questions into concrete test matrices, channel allocations, and timelines

Execute and manage concurrent test and screening campaigns across multiple battery types at the cell, module, and pack level, including cycler programming, test monitoring, and failure root-cause analysis

Drive lab infrastructure and equipment strategy, evaluating and recommending cycler and chamber purchases, fixture design, and channel capacity planning as the program scales

Analyze, interpret, and present test data to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, turning raw results into clear engineering conclusions that inform qualification decisions and program risk assessment

Innovate on test methodology and execution to extract maximum insight from limited channels and time, including smarter test matrix designs, advanced cycler programming, and developing automation scripts

Collaborate with the battery software and data engineering team to define, prioritize, and validate software automation of characterization processes 

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:  

BS or MS in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Materials, Electrical), or a related field

Minimum 3 years of experience 

Strong intuition for lithium-ion cell behavior, operating limits, cell-level failure modes, and degradation mechanisms

Hands-on experience with electrochemical characterization techniques such as HPPC, EIS, dQ/dV analysis, and cycle life testing

Proficiency in data analysis and scripting with Python or MATLAB

Experience with battery cycler platforms (e.g., Arbin, Maccor, Neware) including test programming and troubleshooting

Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with systems engineers, battery algorithms engineers, compliance teams, and program managers to ensure cross-functional stakeholder needs are met

Deep drive to automate workflows and reduce manual processes to improve test efficiency and minimize errors

Bonus: experience with AI tools, especially coding assistants like Cursor or Claude Code; background in EV battery pack qualification or validation programs; familiarity with battery safety and compliance standards (e.g., UN38.3, UL2580, UL1974) 

In accordance with California pay transparency laws, the salary range for this position is listed below. Actual compensation may vary based on a variety of factors, including experience, education, and skills. 

California Pay Range:$170,000—$195,000 USDThe position is full-time. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

We collect personal information (PI) from you in connection with your application for employment with Redwood Materials, including the following categories of PI: identifiers, personal records, professional or employment information, and inferences drawn from your PI. We collect your PI for our purposes, including performing services and operations related to your potential employment. If you have additional privacy-related questions, please contact us at privacy@redwoodmaterials.com.

Source: Redwood Materials careers (Greenhouse)

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