Chief Battery Engineer/Team Lead

Foundation; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market standard benefits (health, vision, dental, 401k)

Job summary

A leading technology firm in San Francisco is seeking a Battery Team Lead to drive expertise in packaging, thermal management, and charging systems for robotics programs. This role requires a hands-on leader with deep knowledge in battery systems, who is enthusiastic about agile operations and innovation. The ideal candidate will lead a team to optimize battery performance across various programs. Competitive salary between $180,000 - $300,000 based on skills and experience.

Qualifications

• Hands-on technical leader with expertise in battery systems for robotics or EVs.
• Deep expertise in pack design, thermal solutions, and charging optimization.
• Experience with collaboration in cross-functional integrations.

Responsibilities

• Drive expertise in packaging, thermal management, and charging systems.
• Leverage off-the-shelf cells while innovating in BMS integration.
• Lead the battery team to breakthroughs across all Foundation programs.

Skills

Technical leadership in battery systems

Pack design expertise

Thermal solutions knowledge

Charging optimization

Cross-functional collaboration

Simulation tools proficiency (COMSOL)

CAD skills

Agile operational experience

Job description

Why We Are Hiring for This Role

• At Foundation, we're developing robotics programs, where batteries are crucial for powering high-performance tasks such as enabling extended runtimes in dynamic environments.
• To supply optimized batteries across all programs, we need a Battery Team Lead who can drive expertise in packaging, thermal management, and charging systems.
• This role will focus on leveraging off‑the‑shelf cells while innovating in areas like BMS integration, sensitivity analyses for trade‑offs, and compatibility with actuators or compute systems.
• By building this in‑house capability, we'll reduce vendor dependencies, accelerate prototyping for program‑specific needs, and achieve cost efficiencies while delivering state‑of‑the‑art energy density and cycle life.
• Operating as a "startup within a startup," this position will enable rapid iterations, resource optimization, and tailored solutions for challenges like liquid cooling feasibility or risk assessments in swappable vs. integrated architectures.

What Kind of Person Are We Looking For

• A hands‑on technical leader in battery systems for robotics, EVs, or aerospace, focused on packaging, thermals, and charging rather than cell manufacturing, with a founder mindset to maximize efficiency by squeezing timelines and stretching budgets.
• Deep expertise in pack design, thermal solutions, charging optimization, and BMS for safety/reliability across programs.
• Proficiency in tools like COMSOL for simulations, CAD for assemblies, and hands‑on testing, with experience collaborating on cross‑functional integrations.
• Ideal background from companies where you've supplied batteries to multiple projects and demonstrated resourcefulness in lean environments.
• A player‑coach who dives into details like FEA for thermal trade‑offs or sensitivity analyses, while strategically roadmapping for multi‑program scalability.
• Bonus knowledge in robotics contexts, such as compatibility with actuator interconnects or designs like thigh linkages.
• Enthusiasm for agile, startup‑style operations with a proactive approach to innovation and cost control, leading the battery team to breakthroughs across all Foundation programs.

Benefits

• We provide market standard benefits (health, vision, dental, 401k, etc.). Join us for the culture and the mission, not for the benefits.

Salary

• The annual compensation is expected to be between $180,000 - $300,000. Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.