Principal BMS Engineer

East Penn Manufacturing Company, Inc.; Ann Arbor (MI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Group health insurance

Retirement Savings Plan

Paid time off (PTO)

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Navitas Systems LLC, in collaboration with East Penn Manufacturing, seeks a Principal Battery Management System Engineer to provide technical leadership across BMS architecture, firmware and safety-critical systems for lithium-ion battery products serving military, commercial, and industrial markets.

You will own multi-generation BMS platforms, define system-level direction, ensure regulatory compliance, and guide cross-functional decisions to deliver robust, scalable solutions aligned with

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required or equivalent with relevant certifications/coursework.
• 15+ years of embedded systems work experience.
• 7+ years of experience with battery or energy systems preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical authority for BMS architecture, including firmware, electronics, sensing, controls, and system integration.
• Define and maintain system-level BMS architecture, design patterns, and technical standards across multiple product lines.
• Lead technical trade studies for safety, performance, cost, manufacturability, and long-term maintainability.
• Establish best practices for embedded firmware architecture, hardware abstraction, diagnostics, and fault handling.
• Provide expert-level guidance on embedded firmware design, real-time systems, and safety-critical software.
• Lead development and review of core BMS algorithms, including SOC, SOH, SOE, cell balancing, protection, diagnostics, and degradation monitoring.
• Own interpretation and application of relevant safety and compliance standards (e.g., UL, IEC, ISO, functional safety guidance) as they relate to BMS design.
• Drive system-level requirements decomposition, traceability, and verification strategy.
• Lead DFMEA, FTA, and system-level risk assessments; ensure mitigation strategies are implemented and verified.
• Guide development of end-of-line test strategies, diagnostic coverage, and service tools.
• Ensure BMS designs are manufacturable, testable, and serviceable at scale.
• Support long-term sustainment, reliability improvements, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned by management.

Skills

BMS architecture

Embedded systems

System-level design

Safety-critical verification

Root-cause analysis

Education

Master’s degree in Electrical/Electrical Engineering or Computer Science

Bachelor’s degree in related field with certifications or coursework

Tools

SPI

I2C

CAN

CANOpen

J1939

UDS

Job description

Get to know East Penn!

Navitas Systems LLC, a leader in comprehensive energy storage solutions, was formed in 2011 with the merger of MicroSun Innovative Energy Storage Solutions and MicroSun Electronics, and the acquisition of lithium battery company A123 Systems’ Government Solutions Group. In 2019, East Penn Manufacturing, one of the world’s leading battery manufacturers, acquired majority interest in Navitas Systems. In SEVEN remarkable decades, East Penn has grown from a one-room shop with a product line of five automotive batteries to one of the world’s leading battery manufacturers with over 10,500 full-time employees, 515 product designs, operations around the world, and hundreds of awards for industry excellence.

At our Navitas facilities we engage in the research, design, development, and manufacture of advanced lithium cells and energy storage products and systems for both commercial customers and U.S. Government/military customers. We invest in our people, they are and always will be the heart of this company. Are you ready to join a family-owned enterprise committed to honoring the contributions of everyone? Then Navitas is the right place for you.

Overview

Navitas Systems is seeking a Principal Battery Management System (BMS) Engineer to provide technical leadership, architectural ownership, and long-term stewardship of advanced BMS solutions for lithium-ion battery products serving military, commercial, and industrial markets.

The Principal BMS Engineer defines technical direction, owns system-level architecture decisions, ensures regulatory and functional safety compliance, and serves as the subject-matter expert across firmware, electronics, algorithms, and system integration.

In this role, you will own and steward multi-generation BMS platforms, define system-level technical direction, and guide cross-functional architectural decisions to ensure BMS solutions are robust, scalable, and aligned with current and future product roadmaps.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical authority for BMS architecture, including firmware, electronics, sensing, controls, and system integration.
• Define and maintain system-level BMS architecture, design patterns, and technical standards across multiple product lines.
• Lead technical trade studies for safety, performance, cost, manufacturability, and long-term maintainability.
• Establish best practices for embedded firmware architecture, hardware abstraction, diagnostics, and fault handling.
• Provide expert-level guidance on embedded firmware design, real-time systems, and safety-critical software.
• Lead development and review of core BMS algorithms, including SOC, SOH, SOE, cell balancing, protection, diagnostics, and degradation monitoring.
• Own interpretation and application of relevant safety and compliance standards (e.g., UL, IEC, ISO, functional safety guidance) as they relate to BMS design.
• Drive system-level requirements decomposition, traceability, and verification strategy.
• Lead DFMEA, FTA, and system-level risk assessments; ensure mitigation strategies are implemented and verified.
• Guide development of end-of-line test strategies, diagnostic coverage, and service tools.
• Ensure BMS designs are manufacturable, testable, and serviceable at scale.
• Support long-term sustainment, reliability improvements, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned by management.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering preferred; or Bachelor’s degree in a related field with relevant certifications or graduate-level coursework.
• 15+ years of embedded systems work experience.
• 7+ years of experience working with battery or relevant energy systems preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Recognized expert in BMS firmware, electronics, and system-level design.
• Deep understanding of lithium-ion battery behavior, protection strategies, and safety mechanisms.
• Proven ability to define and evolve system architectures across multiple product generations.
• Advanced proficiency with embedded communication protocols (SPI, I2C, CAN, CANOpen, J1939, UDS).
• Strong experience with verification, validation, and compliance in regulated or safety-critical environments.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, including root-cause analysis of complex system issues.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS: To conform to U.S. Government International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) the individual must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Disclaimer: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

East Penn Benefits

Navitas/East Penn offers excellent benefits:

• Competitive compensation
• Group health insurance that includes high quality medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage with a low employee premium
• Retirement Savings Plan with company match and a 3% employer contribution
• Paid company holidays and Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Employee assistance program
• Fitness Discounts
• Promotional opportunities

At Navitas/East Penn, our employees are our culture; our employees will always be the heart of the company. We are a private, family-owned enterprise committed to cultivating an atmosphere that honors the contributions of everyone. We want our employees to have long-term careers, and many do. More than 38% of our workforce has over a decade of service. Our open-door management policy, comprehensive benefits package, employee appreciation and recognition events, and career advancement opportunities are just some of the ways we show our employees how incredibly valued they are.

EOE/VEVRAA