Li-ion Battery Cell Safety Lead

Rivian; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 138,000 - 172,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Manager, Battery Cell Safety in California to lead cell safety standards for current and next‑generation battery platforms. You will define, validate, and manage safety requirements and collaborate with engineering, validation, and regulatory teams.

The role requires deep expertise in Li‑ion failure mechanisms, abuse testing, and regulatory requirements, with a strong drive to advance safety in high‑energy storage systems.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical or related field.
• Minimum 8 years in the battery industry, with at least 4 years on Li‑ion cell safety, failure analysis and abuse testing.
• Proven experience defining safety requirements for automotive/high‑energy storage applications.
• Management experience leading a technical team.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain cell safety specs and methodologies, including abuse testing requirements.
• Advocate for internal Rivian cell safety standards beyond minimum regulatory requirements.
• Integrate cell safety inputs throughout the cell development cycle to mass production.
• Oversee and execute cell‑level abuse testing programs with internal and external labs.
• Develop methods for Thermal Runaway propagation characterization and mitigation.
• Analyze test data to identify failure modes and drive design improvements.
• Collaborate with Cell Development to influence intrinsic cell safety in designs.
• Coordinate with Systems and Analysis to align cell safety with ES System safety goals.
• Work with Pack Engineering to ensure safety inputs are reflected in pack/module design.
• Partner with Test and Validation to uphold lab best practices.
• Liaise with Regulatory and Homologation for global safety compliance.

Skills

Li‑ion safety

Battery safety standards

Data analysis tools

Technical communication

Education

Master’s or PhD in relevant engineering fields

8+ years battery industry experience

Automotive/high-energy storage experience

Technical leadership experience

Tools

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Rivian is seeking a Manager, Battery Cell Safety in California to lead cell safety standards for current and next‑generation battery platforms. You will define, validate, and manage safety requirements and collaborate with engineering, validation, and regulatory teams.

The role requires deep expertise in Li‑ion failure mechanisms, abuse testing, and regulatory requirements, with a strong drive to advance safety in high‑energy storage systems.