Battery Modeling Engineer

Namely; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid time off

Equity compensation

Job summary

Zipline, based in South San Francisco, is seeking a Battery Modeling Engineer to lead the development of battery models critical for their drone delivery systems. This role involves optimizing battery performance and integrating models into operational software.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in battery modeling and electrochemical processes, bringing 5+ years of experience or an advanced degree. This position offers a competitive salary in the range of $130,000 to $165,000 and values candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in battery modeling, with focus on electrochemical modeling.
• Understanding of cell electrochemistry, heat transfer, and thermodynamics.
• Strong background in battery characterization and validation tests.

Responsibilities

• Develop, validate, and own cell-level battery models across multiple fidelities.
• Design and analyze battery characterization and validation test campaigns.
• Implement and integrate electrochemical battery models within simulation frameworks.

Skills

Battery modeling

Electrochemical modeling

MATLAB

Python

C++

Education

Advanced degree in relevant field

Tools

PyBaMM

Job description

About Zipline

Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by 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. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products.

Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.

Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.

We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.

About The Role

The Battery Modeling Engineer will be part of Zipline’s Systems Modeling Team, which develops physics-based models used to architect, optimize, and validate Zipline’s aircraft hardware and operational systems. The team works across battery systems, thermal systems, controls, aerodynamics, electrical engineering, and fleet operations to guide key engineering and product decisions.

In this role, you will own end-to-end battery modeling capabilities spanning cell-level electrochemical models (SPM/SPMe/P2D) and equivalent circuit models, pack-level battery models across multiple fidelities, and battery state estimation algorithms. You will also be responsible for Zipline’s cell electrochemistry roadmap and cell selection, working internally and with cell vendors to benchmark and identify emerging opportunities and drive forward new cell candidates.

Your role doesn’t just stop at battery modeling. You will also work to integrate battery and energy models into fleet-level and real-time operational software, supporting large-scale optimizations and highly efficient runtime algorithms. Autonomous decisions made by the fleet, such as what rate to charge at to optimize turnaround time versus battery health, will be guided by your models.

What You’ll Do

• Develop, validate, and own cell-level battery models across multiple fidelities, including electrochemical models (SPM/SPMe/P2D) and equivalent circuit models, to support cell selection and optimize performance, fast charging capability, and battery lifetime.
• Design and analyze battery characterization and validation test campaigns including EIS, HPPC, OCV, and cycle/calendar aging studies.
• Develop and validate pack-level electro-thermal battery models across multiple fidelities to predict electrical and thermal non-uniformities and guide hardware reliability and operational limits during high-power operation and charging.
• Implement and integrate electrochemical battery models within Zipline’s existing simulation frameworks, while improving existing battery modeling capabilities across multiple fidelities.
• Develop and improve battery state estimation and controls-oriented algorithms including SOC/SOH/SOE/SOP estimation and aging-aware charging current limit estimation.
• Collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, systems modeling, and test engineers to develop, validate, and deploy battery models.

What You’ll Bring

• 5+ years of professional experience (or PhD + 2 years) in battery modeling, with a focus on electrochemical modeling.
• A strong understanding of fundamental physics:
  • Cell electrochemistry
  • Heat transfer and thermodynamics
  • Electrical circuits
• Strong background in electrochemical battery modeling including SPM/SPMe/P2D models, equivalent circuit models, and cell degradation mechanisms.
• Experience designing and analyzing battery characterization and validation test campaigns including EIS, HPPC, OCV, and cycle/calendar aging studies.
• Experience using at least one of the following: MATLAB, Python, Julia, C++, or Rust.
• Strong understanding of numerical methods and optimization fundamentals.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain complex systems and datasets in simple terms and synthesize information from disparate sources into clear, concise insights.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD preferred) 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.

What Else You Need to Know

The starting cash range for this role is $130,000 - $165,000. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!