Cell Development Engineer

BASQUEVOLT

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

Your role

Cell Development Engineer is responsible for contributing to the development of advanced Li-metal battery cells, integrating electrochemical design, materials engineering, mechanical design, safety, and failure analysis.

This position plays a vital role in supporting the Cell Design team in all aspects of cell development, from concept definition to validation and qualification, ensuring alignment with customer requirements and company objectives.

Main functions

Electrochemical Design and Materials Engineering:

Support the optimization of cell chemistry, electrode formulations, and processing parameters to meet performance targets.
Analyze electrochemical data (cycling, rate capability, EIS, DCIR, dQ/dV, GITT etc.) to understand performance and degradation mechanisms.
Establish correlation between materials properties, electrode processing, and cell performance.

Mechanical Design and Cell Integration:

Support the development of cell designs (e.g., pouch cell drawings and BOMs), including dimensions, tolerances, and stack configuration.
Assist in mechanical characterization activities such as cell swelling, pressure optimization and thermal behavior of the cell
Collaborate with production team to ensure compatibility of designs with manufacturing processes.
Participate in validation activities to ensure proper integration of cells into modules and packs.
Conduct and contribute to PFMEA (Process FMEA) and DFMEA (Design FMEA) activities to identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks in cell manufacturing and design.

Cell Safety and Failure Analysis:

Assist in defining and evaluating safety aspects of cell design, including materials selection and operating limits.
Participate in abuse testing such as thermal stability, nail penetration, external short circuit, and pressure testing.
Work closely with the cell design engineer to select the most relevant cells for teardown, investigation failure modes and documentation of findings
Support implementation of corrective and preventive actions to improve performance, reliability, and safety.

Requirements

Education:

Master’s or PhD degree in Engineering or related field. Background in electrochemistry, materials science, or mechanical engineering.

Experience:

Cell Development Engineer must have proven track-record of 3–5 years of experience in battery cell development.
Previous experience in electrode processing, pouch cell design, failure analysis, and correlation between cell design and electrochemical performance.
Hands-on experience in electrode preparation, cell assembly/disassembly, electrochemical testing (cycling, rate, EIS, DCIR, dQ/dV, GITT), and data analysis for coin and pouch cells.
Understanding of mechanical aspects of cell design, including swelling behavior, pressure, and structural considerations.
Experience with safety testing and basic understanding of cell safety and thermal runaway mechanisms.
Familiarity with engineering design tools (e.g., NX, SolidWorks or equivalent) is a plus.