Cell Safety Testing Engineer

Nanotech Energy; Chico (CA); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Medical plan

Paid Time Off

Holiday Pay

Dental coverage

Job summary

Nanotech Energy in Chico, California is seeking a Cell Safety Testing Engineer to plan and execute safety, abuse, transportation, and reliability tests for advanced cylindrical lithium-ion cells at NERD and NEMO. You will translate approved requirements into controlled protocols, instrumented test setups, safe execution, validated data, and traceable reports.

Reporting to the Cell Testing Manager, you will help commission new test equipment, improve laboratory throughput, and investigate cell

Qualifications

• Three or more years of battery safety, abuse, validation, reliability, or comparable high-energy test experience.
• Hands-on experience with cylindrical lithium-ion cells and safety testing (UN 38.3, UL, IEC) preferred.
• Experience with test fixtures, instrumentation, sensors, data acquisition, and hazardous-energy controls.
• Experience commissioning or qualifying test equipment and producing controlled protocols with traceable data.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute cell-safety protocols, including UN 38.3 and applicable safety methods.
• Design and document test fixtures, instrumentation, and data acquisition setups.
• Commission, qualify, troubleshoot, and maintain safety-test chambers and related lab equipment.
• Complete risk assessments and follow PPE, LOTO, ventilation, and containment controls.
• Monitor tests, stop unsafe conditions, and escalate data integrity concerns.
• Collect and report voltage, current, temperature, and other data with traceability.
• Maintain controlled protocols, test records, and sample genealogy.
• Support failure analysis and root-cause investigations with cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate sample readiness, test schedules, and third-party testing.

Skills

Battery safety testing

Test equipment commissioning

Cylindrical Li-ion cells

Data acquisition sensors

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Data acquisition hardware

Environmental test chambers

Job description

Department: Cell Testing
Position: Cell Safety Testing Engineer
Location: Chico, California
Pay Range: $95,000 – $135,000 per year

Plans and executes safety, abuse, transportation, and reliability testing for advanced cylindrical lithium-ion cells at NERD and NEMO. Reporting to the Cell Testing Manager, the engineer converts approved requirements into controlled protocols, instrumented test setups, safe execution, validated data, and traceable reports. The role also supports commissioning new test equipment, improving laboratory throughput, and investigating cell failure modes. Technical test intent, cell design, and product disposition remain with the authorized technical and Quality owners.

Benefits

Full-time employees are eligible to participate in the Company’s 401(k) plan and medical plan, and to receive other benefits in accordance with Company policies. A summary of our current benefits is below.

• Paid Time Off (PTO): PTO accrues from your first day of employment
• Holiday Pay: 10 paid holidays per year, designated by the Company
• 401(k): Participation in the Company’s 401(k) plan
• Medical: The Company pays up to $500 per month toward medical coverage for employees and their dependents.
• Dental: Premiums are paid in full by the employee.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Develop and execute approved cell-safety protocols, including UN 38.3 and applicable UL, IEC, customer, thermal, electrical, and mechanical abuse methods.
• Design and document test fixtures, instrumentation, channel assignments, sensor placement, data acquisition, and acceptance criteria for controlled testing.
• Commission, qualify, troubleshoot, and maintain safety-test chambers, cyclers, environmental systems, sensors, controls, and supporting laboratory equipment.
• Complete risk assessments and follow required PPE, LOTO, ventilation, emergency-response, sample-handling, and post-test containment controls.
• Monitor active tests, stop unsafe or invalid conditions, isolate abnormal cells, and promptly elevate equipment, protocol, or data-integrity concerns.
• Collect, validate, analyze, and report voltage, current, temperature, force, pressure, dimensional, visual, and failure-event data with full traceability.
• Maintain controlled protocols, work instructions, fixture drawings, calibration status, test records, sample genealogy, media, and approved system entries.
• Support failure analysis and root-cause investigations with Cell Development, Process Engineering, Quality, EH&S, and external laboratories.
• Coordinate sample readiness, test schedules, third-party testing, reports, audits, and continuous improvements in safety, quality, capacity, and turnaround time.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, electrical, chemical, materials, safety, or test engineering, or a related technical field.
• Three or more years of battery safety, abuse, validation, reliability, or comparable high-energy test experience.
• Hands-on experience with cylindrical lithium-ion cells and UN 38.3, UL, IEC, or customer-defined safety and abuse testing is strongly preferred.
• Experience with test fixtures, instrumentation, sensors, data acquisition, thermal and electrical measurements, and hazardous-energy controls.
• Experience commissioning or qualifying test equipment and producing controlled protocols, validated data, and traceable technical reports.
• An equivalent combination of education, technical training, certification, and directly relevant experience may be considered.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Accommodation

Nanotech Energy is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, reproductive health decision-making, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Nanotech Energy provides reasonable accommodation to qualified applicants with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, observances, and practices, unless doing so would cause undue hardship. Applicants who need an accommodation during the application or interview process should contact the recruiting team.