Hardware Engineer, Battery Systems

QuantumScape; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

QuantumScape is seeking a hardware engineer to own the electrical design of the battery management system for advanced solid-state Li-metal batteries. You will craft the BMS architecture from AFE to protection devices, and collaborate with mechanical, firmware, and marketing teams to ensure safety and performance.

The role requires deep experience in Li-Ion technology, analog/digital power, high-speed PCB design, and DFMEA.

Qualifications

• Requires 8+ years in battery pack or BMS design with prototype validation/production
• Experience with Li-Ion battery technology and protections
• Expertise in analog, digital and power circuits for battery applications
• Familiar with design verification and safety standards (UL1973 etc.)
• Ability to collaborate with mechanical, firmware and marketing teams

Responsibilities

• Design BMS for 600V packs and 20kW+ power
• Create schematics and PCB layouts for the BMS
• Define connections for voltage sensing, balancing and temperature monitoring
• Select protection devices based on worst-case operating conditions
• Collaborate with mechanical engineers on heat sinks and wiring harnesses
• Ensure hardware redundancy on critical protections
• Develop engineering specifications and DFMEA plans
• Specify tests to validate performance and safety compliance
• Support UL 1973 and UL 9540A safety certification activities
• Coordinate with external design teams for system integration

Skills

Battery systems

BMS design

Analog & digital power circuits

High-speed PCB layout

DFMEA & design margin analysis

Thermal management & EMI

Grounding & isolation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering

PhD in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium

Cadence

PSPICE

LTSpice

Simulink

PSIM

Job description

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 role:

As a hardware engineer, you own the electrical design of the battery management system. From AFE architecture to temperature monitoring, to selecting fuses and FETs for protection, you ensure the battery pack can work reliably under all conditions without compromising safety.

Why this role matters:

As the hardware engineer for battery systems, you are responsible for all design aspects of the battery management system. You will collaborate closely with the mechanical engineering team to create state-of-the-art designs with high power and energy density, while meeting all regulatory safety requirements. You will also work with the firmware team closely to ensure all functions are implemented properly and validated thoroughly.

What you'll do:

• Design BMS system with pack voltages up to 600V and power >20kW
• Create schematics and design PCB for the BMS
• Define connection for voltage sensing, balancing and temperature monitoring
• Select protection devices based on worst case operating conditions
• Collaborate with mechanical engineers to design heat sinks and wiring harnesses
• Ensure hardware redundancy on critical protection functions
• Closely work with marketing team to generate detailed engineering specifications
• Perform design margin analysis and DFMEA
• Specify design verification tests to ensure functional performance and regulatory compliance of the battery pack
• Support UL 1973 and UL 9540A safety certification activities
• Work with external design teams to ensure the battery pack integrates well in its application

What you bring:

• a relevant Bachelor’s degree and 9+ years’ experience or a relevant Master’s degree and 8+ years’ experience or relevant Ph.D. and 5+ years’ experience
• 5+ years in battery pack or BMS design with at least two products through prototype validation or production
• Familiar with schematic and PCB design tools like Altium or Cadence
• In depth understanding of Li-Ion battery technology and protections
• Expertise in designing analog, digital and generic power circuits, especially on low power design for battery applications
• Familiar with simulation tools such as PSPICE, LTSpice, Simulink and PSIM
• Good PCB layout knowledge including high-speed design, thermal design, design for manufacturing and EMI mitigation techniques.
• Understand component management and BOM structures, capable of identifying agency critical components and verifying safety specifications
• Experienced in designing, bringing up, testing and troubleshooting brand new platforms
• Analysis of circuit components, including their thermal and magnetic properties
• Good understanding of grounding, isolation, creepage/clearance and hi-pot testing
• Capable of creating thorough DVT plans to validate product specifications
• Design for reliability using tools such as design margin analysis, DFMEA and HALT
• Experience with battery safety standards, such as UL1973, UL9540A and IEC62619
• Comfortable of collaborating with mechanical, firmware and marketing teams.
• Good at generating engineering documentation such as specifications, block diagrams, design review presentations, assembly drawings, and test reports

Nice to have:

• Previous experience in Data center power and energy products (CBU/BBU/EBM, etc)
• Hands-on PCB layout experience
• Direct experience supporting PCBA manufacturing
• High-voltage battery pack design up to 800V+
• High-current design of >100A
• Experience in scalable modular systems with hot-swap capabilities
• Experience in a customer facing application engineering role
• Knowledge of power electronic circuits (AC/DC, DC/DC, Inverter, etc)

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.