Lead Battery Systems Engineer

Aska Fly; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

ASKA is seeking a senior battery-system engineer to lead energy systems for its hybrid-electric drive-and-fly platform. You will connect energy needs to pack architecture, coordinate mechanical, thermal, and BMS development, and guide verification from cell characterization to vehicle testing.

Location is Palo Alto area with some remote analysis; on-site presence at Eagle Field Airport may be required for testing and integration activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, chemical or systems engineering or equivalent practical expertise.
• 8+ years in battery development, including ownership of an integrated pack or battery-system program.
• Experience leading development of a battery pack or system from cell selection through integrated hardware testing.
• Ability to balance power, energy, degradation, packaging and thermal constraints and allocate interfaces to BMS, charging and HV systems.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary design reviews and verification plans covering normal operation, life and credible fault conditions.
• Ability to explain technical decisions and coordinate with adjacent systems.

Responsibilities

• Translate vehicle power and energy profiles into battery requirements, margins and operating limits.
• Lead cell and pack architecture trades covering performance, life, mass, packaging and serviceability.
• Define interfaces with charging, high-voltage distribution, thermal management and hybrid power controls.
• Coordinate cell characterization and pack development with mechanical, electronics and test specialists.
• Establish verification coverage for normal operation, degradation and credible fault conditions.
• Lead technical reviews and maintain a prioritized plan for design maturity, supplier readiness and risk closure.
• Own and improve battery evaluation and validation methods with test specialists and measurable acceptance criteria.

Skills

Battery development

Integrated pack ownership

Systems engineering

Thermal management coordination

BMS interfaces coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical, chemical or systems engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Python

CAD/CAE tools

Job description

Lead the energy systems that support a new kind of mobility. Bring ASKA’s battery engineering together across cells, structures, cooling, and controls, turning vehicle needs into an integrated pack and a clear validation plan.

Own the battery-system engineering for ASKA's hybrid-electric drive-and-fly platform. You will connect mission energy needs to pack architecture and operating limits, coordinate mechanical, thermal and BMS development, and guide verification from cell characterization through integrated vehicle testing.

Employment Full-time proposed

Location & work arrangement Eagle Field · Palo Alto area / remote for analysis and design to be defined; hands-on integration and test visits to be discussed; availability for occasional testing at Eagle Field Airport required, with advance coordination

Battery pack architecture, cell-selection decisions, system limits and battery-team delivery.

Key working interfaces

Motor, inverter and battery leads own their components. Hybrid Power owns energy operating modes and integration; Aircraft Systems owns vehicle architecture, requirements and cross-system integration; safety specialists supply assessment findings and constraints.

What you’ll do

• Translate vehicle power and energy profiles into battery requirements, margins and operating limits.
• Lead cell and pack architecture trades covering performance, life, mass, packaging and serviceability.
• Define interfaces with charging, high-voltage distribution, thermal management and hybrid power controls.
• Coordinate cell characterization and pack development with mechanical, electronics and test specialists.
• Establish verification coverage for normal operation, degradation and credible fault conditions.
• Lead technical reviews and maintain a prioritized plan for design maturity, supplier readiness and risk closure.
• Own and continually improve battery evaluation and validation methods with test specialists, including measurable acceptance criteria, representative test coverage and measurement quality; use results and anomalies to strengthen verification evidence.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, chemical or systems engineering, or equivalent practical expertise demonstrated through relevant work.
• 8+ years in battery development, including ownership of an integrated pack or battery-system program.
• Experience leading development of a battery pack or system from cell selection and requirements through integrated hardware testing.
• Ability to balance power, energy, degradation, packaging and thermal constraints and allocate interfaces to BMS, charging and HV systems.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary design reviews and verification plans covering normal operation, life and credible fault conditions.
• Ability to explain technical decisions, keep accurate records and work effectively with the teams responsible for adjacent systems.

Preferred qualifications

Experience with aviation or high-performance vehicle packs, battery aging and field-data interpretation. Familiarity with qualification planning and production traceability is useful.

AI tools and automation: Preferred: experience using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft 365 Copilot or equivalent tools for technical research, analysis, documentation or reporting. Where relevant, describe use of Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot or equivalent tools for Python/MATLAB scripts, CAD/CAE workflow automation or test-data processing. Provide a specific example, your contribution, any measured time saved or quality improvement, and how you verified the result. Equivalent tools are welcome.

We welcome transferable experience from related industries. You do not need to meet every preferred qualification. Tell us what you have delivered and how your skills apply to this role.

Location & working arrangements

Eagle Field Airport · 11100 W Eagle Ave, Firebaugh, CA 93622

Eagle Field Airport is our primary development and manufacturing location. Palo Alto area or remote arrangements may be considered for engineering work that does not require hands-on access. All current openings require availability to participate in development and flight-testing activities at Eagle Field Airport from time to time, with advance coordination. Flight-test roles require on-site availability for preparation and campaigns. Scheduling and travel arrangements will be discussed for each role.

About ASKA

At ASKA, we are on a mission to build the world’s first AI sensor fusion and digital twin system that manages autonomous driving and autonomous flying in one vehicle. We are bringing ground and air autonomy together to support the warfighter—moving critical supplies, reaching people in need, and reducing exposure in dangerous environments. Our team works across aircraft engineering, intelligent software, electric propulsion, and advanced manufacturing, with development and testing at Eagle Field Airport in California. Bring your expertise. Take ownership. Help build technology that matters.

ASKA welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and relevant experience. For questions or application accommodations, message the recruiting team .