Electrical Lead - Validation Lab

Exponent Energy; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Exponent Energy in Bengaluru, India, seeks an Electrical Lead – Validation Lab to own electrical validation of batteries, chargers and vehicle-level systems. You will lead a hardware test team, set priorities across programs, and adapt in a fast-moving startup environment.

Responsibilities include planning DVP&R for packs, BMS, chargers; ensuring compliance with AIS/IEC standards; driving root-cause analysis; supporting NABL/ARAI testing; and mentoring engineers toward a culture of ownership and

Qualifications

• 5-10 years in EV/automotive electrical validation with hands-on experience in batteries/BMS and chargers.
• Experience leading hardware test engineers and driving test programs in a startup or fast-moving environment.
• Strong knowledge of HV safety practices and lab quality documentation.

Responsibilities

• Own DVP&R planning and execution for battery packs, BMS hardware, chargers, wiring harnesses and electrical subsystems.
• Translate product requirements and standards into test plans, acceptance criteria and lab capacity.
• Review test data and reports; sign off on results and drive root-cause analysis with design, firmware and suppliers.
• Support certification and homologation testing with ARAI/ICAT/NABL labs; witness tests and close observations.
• Lead and mentor a team of hardware test engineers; manage agile sprint planning and delivery.

Skills

Electrical validation

BMS testing

HV safety

Team leadership

DVP&R planning

Education

B.E./B.Tech in Electrical/Electronics

Tools

CAN diagnostics

Lab instrumentation

Job description

Role: Electrical Lead – Validation Lab

Department: New Product Development Location: Bengaluru, India Experience: 5-10 Years

Your Team:

You'll be working with New Product Development — a group that runs on coffee and an infectious passion for building products that have never been built before. Our Flexible Energy Stack consists of the e^pack (battery pack) and e^pump (charging station), which unlock 15-minute rapid charging.

Our philosophy:

Break. Believe. Build.

Break stuff, break assumptions, break the thumb rule.

Believe in the team, the process, and through failures.

Build fast, build passionately, build to simplify.

Own it like you mean it.

The Electrical Lead owns electrical validation of batteries, chargers and vehicle-level electrical systems end to end – and leads the team of hardware test engineers who execute it. You will be technically hands-on, set priorities across parallel programs, and thrive in a fast-moving startup where plans change weekly and the team is expected to adapt quickly.

What you’ll do:

Technical ownership

• Own DVP&R planning and execution for battery packs, BMS hardware, chargers, wiring harnesses and electrical sub-systems.
• Translate product requirements and standards (AIS-156, AIS-038 Rev 2, AIS-048, IS 17017, IEC 61851, CMVR) into test plans, acceptance criteria and lab capacity.
• Review test data and reports; sign off on test results and drive root-cause analysis (8D, fishbone, 5-Why) with design, firmware and suppliers.
• Support certification and homologation testing with ARAI/ICAT and NABL labs – test witness, documentation and closure of observations.
• Drive supplier qualification testing for all components sourced for e^ products.
• Define lab infrastructure needs – equipment, fixtures, safety systems – and own HV safety practices in the lab.

People & execution

• Lead, mentor and grow a team of hardware test engineers and technicians; set goals, run reviews and build skills.
• Run the team in an agile way – weekly sprint planning, daily stand-ups, visible test trackers, quick re-prioritisation.
• Balance capacity across multiple programs; flag risks and trade-offs early to program managers and leadership.
• Build a culture of ownership, safety, clean documentation and fast feedback.
• Participate in hiring and onboarding for the team.

What you’ll bring:

• Education qualification
• B.E./B.Tech (M.Tech a plus) in Electrical, Electronics or EEE.
• 6–10 years in EV / automotive electrical validation, with deep hands-on experience in batteries/BMS and chargers.
• 2+ years of direct people management – leading engineers, assigning work, conducting performance reviews.
• Strong command of HV safety, battery and charger test methods, CAN diagnostics and lab instrumentation.
• Proven experience delivering DVP&R and supporting homologation in the Indian regulatory context.
• Comfortable with agile / sprint-based ways of working and changing priorities.
• Clear communicator with design, firmware, quality, supplier and leadership teams.

Good to Have

• Experience setting up a validation lab or scaling a test team.
• Exposure to DFMEA, functional safety (ISO 26262) concepts, and test automation.
• Experience working in a startup or high-growth environment.

What Success Looks Like (First 6 Months)

• All active electrical DVPs have owners, schedules and live trackers.
• Team runs on a predictable sprint rhythm with visible throughput.
• Certification tests for the current program cleared without major repeat runs.

What matters to us:

• Quality of work
• Structured problem-solving
• Dissatisfaction with mediocre work
• Ability to multi-task and handle a dynamic working environment
• Resilient attitude to bounce back after failing

About Us:

Exponent is building the energy stack powering commercial EVs in India. Our proprietary battery and charging technology enables safe, reliable 15-minute rapid charging while delivering a 3,000-cycle battery life warranty using standard lithium-ion cells. Today, our platform powers high-utilisation commercial vehicles - from three-wheelers to intercity buses, making electric mobility rapid, more reliable and more affordable than petroleum.

Founded by Arun Vinayak (Founding Partner & Former Chief Product Officer, Ather Energy), Exponent is a 250+ member team of passionate builders solving some of the toughest engineering challenges in energy.

If solving hard engineering problems across mechanics, thermal systems, power electronics, manufacturing, and the charging network, while staying obsessed with customer experience excites you, we'd love to build with you.