Battery Modeling Engineer

Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service, ensuring access to food, medicine, and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably across four continents. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back, with over 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown.

About the Role

You will be part of Zipline’s Systems Modeling Team, developing physics-based models to architect, optimize, and validate Zipline’s aircraft hardware and operational systems. As the owner of end-to-end battery modeling, you will guide cell selection, hardware operating limits, charging decisions, and fleet optimization through validated energy models.

Responsibilities

• Own cell-level models across electrochemical and equivalent-circuit fidelities to evaluate performance, fast charging capability, degradation, and lifetime.
• Define Zipline’s cell electrochemistry roadmap and lead cell benchmarking and selection with internal teams and cell vendors.
• Design and analyze characterization and validation campaigns, including EIS, HPPC, OCV, and cycle and calendar aging studies.
• Develop pack-level electro-thermal models predicting electrical and thermal non-uniformity during high-power operation and charging.
• Build state-estimation and controls-oriented algorithms for SOC, SOH, SOE, SOP, and aging-aware charging-current limits.
• Integrate validated battery and energy models into simulation and operational software for fleet charging, turnaround, battery-health, and aircraft-energy decisions.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional battery-modeling experience, or a PhD plus 2 years, with a focus on electrochemical modeling.
• Deep knowledge of cell electrochemistry, heat transfer, thermodynamics, electrical circuits, numerical methods, and optimization.
• Hands-on experience with SPM, SPMe, P2D, equivalent-circuit models, and battery degradation mechanisms.
• Experience planning, running, or interpreting battery characterization and validation testing, including EIS, HPPC, OCV, and aging studies.
• Proficiency in at least one of MATLAB, Python, Julia, C++, or Rust.
• Ability to communicate complex model behavior and datasets clearly and collaborate with mechanical, electrical, test, and systems-modeling engineers.
• Advanced degree in mechanical, electrical, chemical engineering, physics, computational science, or a related field is preferred; familiarity with PyBaMM is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Computational Science, or related field.
• Familiarity with PyBaMM or similar electrochemical battery modeling frameworks.
• Experience with battery degradation and lifetime modeling.
• Experience developing battery state estimation algorithms.

Pay

The starting cash range for this role is $130,000 - $165,000. The final cash pay will depend on experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package may also include equity, discretionary bonuses, sales incentives, and benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as paid time off.