Senior Cell Test & Validation Engineer

About the role

Peak Energy is seeking a Senior Cell Test & Validation Engineer to play a key role in the cell-level test and validation program for commercial product cells. This role moves the cell from verification to validation—defining critical-to-quality (CTQ) metrics, designing the test campaigns that prove them out, and building the in-house infrastructure, fixtures, and data systems needed to execute them with rigor.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute electrochemical characterization of commercial product cells, including capacity, DCIR/HPPC, rate capability, OCV/SOC mapping, coulombic and energy efficiency, and incremental capacity / differential voltage (IC/DV) analysis.
• Own cycle life and calendar life test programs across temperature, SOC, and duty-cycle conditions; design accelerated aging protocols and analyze degradation modes to inform life models and product warranty positions.
• Design and execute self-discharge characterization (open-circuit, micro-shorts, parasitic loss) at the cell level, including long-duration low-current measurements and storage condition matrices.
• Own third-party test engagements for thermal runaway, heat generation, and abuse testing (e.g., nail penetration, overcharge, external short, propagation, ARC, thermal characterization).
• Manage scopes of work, witness testing, review data, and translate results into product and system design feedback.
• Build and qualify in-house test and data-acquisition fixtures— including thermal chambers, calorimetry setups, current/voltage harnesses, temperature sensing, and custom DAQ—to expand internal test capability and reduce reliance on external labs.
• Operate, maintain, and calibrate battery cycler hardware across the lab fleet; establish equipment qualification, channel verification, calibration cadence, and measurement uncertainty budgets.
• Define cell critical-to-quality (CTQ) metrics in partnership with Cell Engineering, Quality, and Systems teams; translate product requirements into measurable test criteria with clear pass/fail thresholds.
• Lead the transition from verification to validation: design statistically rigorous test campaigns (sample size justification, DOE, GR&R, capability analysis, tolerance intervals, reliability statistics) that establish confidence in production-intent cells.
• Author and maintain test plans, SOPs, test reports, and validation packages that withstand internal and external technical review; ensure traceability from requirement → test method → result → decision.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Cell R&D, Cell Quality, Cell Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Supplier Industrialization to align test strategy, share data, and close out failure investigations.
• Mentor junior engineers and technicians on lab discipline, data hygiene, statistical thinking, and safe handling of energized cells.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an engineering or science discipline—Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, or related.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in cell, battery, or electrochemical device test and validation, with demonstrated ownership of multi-quarter test programs on commercial product-level cells.
• Prior experience working inside a formal engineering organization with stage-gated product development, change control, and validation gates.
• Deep hands-on expertise in electrochemical characterization methods (capacity, DCIR/HPPC, cycle life, calendar life, self-discharge, IC/DV) and the instrumentation behind them.
• Direct experience operating, calibrating, and troubleshooting battery cyclers (e.g., Arbin, Maccor, BioLogic, Neware, Digatron) and environmental chambers.
• Demonstrated experience owning third-party test engagements for thermal runaway, abuse, heat generation, and thermal characterization, including authoring test protocols and reviewing third-party data.
• Track record of designing and building in-house test fixtures and DAQ systems—sensor selection, harnessing, signal conditioning, and software integration (LabVIEW, Python, or equivalent).
• Strong statistical background applied to verification and validation: sample size justification, DOE, ANOVA, regression, GR&R, capability indices, tolerance intervals, and reliability/life-data analysis.
• Proven ability to define CTQ metrics and translate product and system requirements into measurable, defensible cell-level test criteria.
• Clear technical writing and presentation skills; comfortable defending methods and conclusions to engineering, quality, and executive audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with sodium-ion, lithium-ion, or other advanced battery chemistries at commercial cell formats (prismatic, pouch, or cylindrical).
• Working knowledge of battery safety and qualification standards (e.g., UN 38.3, UL 1973, UL 9540A, IEC 62619, SAE J2464) and the test sequences they prescribe.
• Familiarity with calorimetry techniques (ARC, IBC, isothermal) and heat-generation modeling at the cell level.
• Proficiency in Python, R, JMP, or Minitab for test data analysis and statistical inference; experience with structured time-series cycler data at scale.
• Experience deploying Jira, Smartsheet, or similar tools to manage test requests, deviations, and validation deliverables.
• Exposure to model-test correlation work with cell modeling, electrochemical simulation, or life-prediction teams.
• Six Sigma, ASQ CRE/CQE, or equivalent statistical/reliability certification.