Director, Cell Development

QuantumScape Battery, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 186,000 - 297,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

RSU/Equity package

Health care

Job summary

QuantumScape Battery, Inc. in California is seeking a Director of Cell Development to lead solid-state lithium-metal cell development end-to-end—from idea generation through maturation into manufacturable, reliable products.

You will set the technical direction for yield and reliability and drive multi-layer cell design and pack integration. You will build and lead a high-synergy, cross-functional team, partner with Failure Analysis, Metrology, and Quality, and communicate progress to the

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or equivalent with a solid background in electrochemistry (required).
• 10+ years of relevant industry experience, including significant battery or electrochemical cell development experience.
• Proven track record leading cell or battery development programs from concept through manufacturing scale-up.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical roadmap for solid-state lithium-metal cell development, from early-stage idea generation to manufacturing readiness.
• Act as the thought leader on yield and reliability, setting direction and priorities for improvement.
• Lead cell design and scale-up, including transition to multi-layer architectures and pack integration.
• Partner with Failure Analysis, Metrology, and Quality to diagnose root causes and translate findings into design improvements.
• Break down complex problems into structured workstreams and synthesize results into a clear path forward.
• Build and lead a high-synergy cross-functional team, hiring and developing talent.
• Drive cross-functional campaigns spanning R&D, manufacturing engineering, and quality to qualify new processes.
• Communicate progress, risks, and recommendations clearly to stakeholders up to the executive team.
• Champion a culture of radical candor and ownership, eliminating siloed handoffs between development and manufacturing.

Skills

Battery development

Electrochemistry

Leadership

Communication to leadership

Problem solving

Cell design and scale-up

Pack integration

Fast-paced environment

Education

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering

Tools

CT scanning

SEM

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

DOE

Job description

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QuantumScape is on a mission to transform energy storage with solid-state lithium-metal battery technology. The company’s next-generation batteries are designed to enable greater energy density, faster charging and enhanced safety to support the transition away from legacy energy sources toward a lower carbon future.

About the team: The Cell Development team is responsible for taking QuantumScape's solid-state lithium-metal cell technology from early concept through manufacturing maturity. The team works at the intersection of materials science, electrochemistry, and process engineering, partnering closely with Failure Analysis, Metrology, Quality, and Manufacturing to turn promising ideas into reliable, scalable cells. We operate with a mission-driven mindset, favor clarity over noise, and hold ourselves to a standard of radical candor and zero tolerance for siloed handoffs.

What we need: We are looking for a Director of Cell Development to lead our solid-state battery cell development efforts end to end — from early idea generation through maturation into a manufacturable, reliable product. This person will be the thought leader for yield and reliability improvements across our solid-state cells, and will drive cell design and scale-up from single-layer architectures to multi-layer cells and pack-level integration.

This role requires genuine comfort with open-ended, ambiguous problems in a fast-paced environment: the ability to break complex technical challenges into simpler, well-scoped chunks, drive parallel workstreams to resolution, and bring the results back together into a coherent path forward. If you enjoy building high-synergy teams, communicating with clarity at every level up to the executive team, and taking ownership of hard, unsolved problems, we'd like to hear from you.

What You'll do:

• Own the technical roadmap for solid-state lithium-metal cell development, from early-stage idea generation and feasibility through maturation and manufacturing readiness
• Act as the thought leader on yield and reliability, setting the technical direction and priorities for improving cell performance, consistency, and failure rates
• Lead cell design and scale-up efforts, including the transition from single-layer to multi-layer cell architectures and downstream pack integration
• Partner closely with Failure Analysis, Metrology, and Quality teams to diagnose root causes of cell-level issues and translate findings into design and process improvements
• Break down complex, open-ended technical problems into structured workstreams, and synthesize results across parallel efforts into a clear, actionable path forward
• Build and lead a high-synergy, cross-functional team, hiring and developing talent to grow the group's capabilities
• Drive cross-functional campaigns spanning R&D, manufacturing engineering, and quality to qualify new processes and improve line performance
• Communicate progress, risks, and recommendations clearly to stakeholders up to and including the executive team, with a bias toward clarity over noise
• Champion a culture of radical candor and shared ownership, eliminating siloed handoffs between development and manufacturing

Skills You'll Need:

• Proven track record leading cell or battery development programs from concept through manufacturing scale-up
• Deep technical expertise in lithium-metal, solid-state, or advanced battery cell technologies, including electrochemistry and failure mechanisms
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to decompose ambiguous, open-ended technical problems and re-integrate findings into a coherent strategy
• Experience with cell design and scale-up, including multi-layer cell architectures and pack integration considerations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership
• Prior people-leadership experience, including hiring, developing, and managing technical teams
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, high-ambiguity environment with shifting priorities
• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or equivalent, with a solid background in electrochemistry (required)
• 10+ years of relevant industry experience, including significant experience in battery or electrochemical cell development

Nice to have:

• Direct experience with solid-state or lithium-metal cell technology specifically
• Familiarity with statistical process control, DOE, or reliability engineering methodologies
• Experience working with metrology and failure analysis techniques (e.g., CT scanning, SEM, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy)

ONSITE: This position is required to work onsite 5 days per week to meet the minimum essential duties and requirements of this position. As an on-site R&D and manufacturing operations organization, in-person face to face interaction is essential to building authentic relationships, trust, teamwork, and collaboration.

Compensation & Benefits:Expected salary range for this role is from $185,700 to $297,200 and a final salary will be determined by the candidate's experience, educational background and internal equity. QuantumScape also offers an annual bonus and a generous RSU/Equity package as part of its compensation plan. In addition, we do offer a tremendous benefits plan including employee paid health care, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and other benefits.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.