Principal Manufacturing Engineer

Form Energy; Weirton (WV); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Competitive salaries

Stock options

Job summary

Form Energy, based in West Virginia, seeks a Principal Manufacturing Engineer to scale a new battery manufacturing organization. You will own the entire cell assembly manufacturing ecosystem, collaborating with design, supply chain, and operations, from initial trials to high-volume production.

You will lead design feedback for manufacturability, select and manage equipment integrators, and drive safe, reliable, and high-quality processes across multi-facility expansion.

Qualifications

• 18+ years of equipment/manufacturing engineering experience in electro‑mechanical assembly
• Direct experience purchasing and setting up new automated manufacturing equipment
• Experience writing Standard Operating Procedures and manufacturing documentation
• Experience with DFM/DFA feedback and collaboration with design engineers

Responsibilities

• Own development, build/purchase, and deployment of manufacturing workstations and equipment
• Provide DFM feedback and drive high-volume production readiness
• Partner with equipment integrators from development to handoff to operations
• Install, commission, and qualify new equipment and fixtures
• Design robust processes emphasizing safety, uptime, and quality
• Lead debugging and resolution of time-sensitive manufacturing issues
• Train hands-on labor on new equipment and processes
• Collaborate across teams to achieve manufacturing success

Skills

Equipment engineering

Manufacturing engineering

DFM/DFA feedback

Supplier collaboration

Hands-on build

Cross-functional teamwork

Effective communication

Automation equipment

Education

BS in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering

Tools

MES systems

Automated equipment integration

Welding/assembly experience

Job description

Are you ready to build America’s energy future? Form Energy is an American manufacturing and energy technology company. We’re revolutionizing energy storage with cost-effective, multi-day technology designed to keep the electric grid secure and reliable, even during extended periods of stress. By strengthening the electric system and reimagining what’s possible, we’re giving clean energy a whole new form!

In recent years, Form Energy has earned a number of accolades, including being named by TIME as a “Best Invention”, MIT Technology Review as a “Top Climate Tech Company To Watch”, and Fast Company as “One of the Next Big Things In Tech”. We are making rapid progress on our mission of delivering energy storage for a better world, and our team is growing just as rapidly to meet demand. We have signed contracts with leading electric utilities across the United States and production of our iron‑air batteries is underway at our first high‑volume manufacturing facility in West Virginia.

Working for Form Energy is more than just a job, it’s a chance to be part of something extraordinary. And now - right as we significantly scale up battery manufacturing - might be the most exciting moment in the company’s history to join. We are assembling a team of highly talented and driven individuals across the country. Driven by our core values of humanity, excellence, and creativity, our team is determined to deliver on our mission and transform the energy landscape for the better.

Feeling energized to make a meaningful impact on the world? Then keep reading - you’ve come to the right place.

Role Description

We’re looking for a Principal Manufacturing Engineer who is ready to amplify their impact and help build a new battery Manufacturing organization. In this role, you will be responsible for engineering all functional aspects of our battery cell assembly manufacturing ecosystem from floor to ceiling.

This work starts with a two-way conversation with our design engineers to both inform their designs (DFM) and get a jump start on developing the equipment and processes. Work will range from participating in hands‑on trial builds at a prototype level up to delivering outsourced, high‑budget, high‑volume solutions at new production facilities.

You’ll work with design engineers, supply chain, operations, safety, facilities, assemblers, and a host of other teams and outside suppliers, vendors, and consultants. As we manufacture our products for the first time, expect a slew of surprise issues that will need rapid root cause investigation and resolution demanding critical thinking, persistence, and collaboration. It’s going to be an exciting ride building something from nothing, and we hope you join us making giant batteries to tackle climate change! Relocation assistance is available.

What You’ll Do

• Own the development, build or purchase, and deployment of manufacturing workstations and equipment ranging from initial manual benchtop stations to fully automated and integrated systems
• Provide Design for Manufacturability feedback to the engineering team, working closely with them throughout the development process, and own decisions for design changes that enable high volume production
• Rigorously select and partner with equipment integrators from equipment development through hand off to operations teams
• Install, commission, and qualify new equipment and fixtures
• Design, document, and deliver robust processes capable of a high level of safety, uptime, and quality
• Lead the debugging and resolution of time‑sensitive issues with manufacturing equipment and processes as they arise
• Collaborate with the team to train hands‑on labor on new manufacturing equipment and processes
• Work with a diversity of teams inside and outside the company to achieve overall manufacturing success

What You’ll Bring

• 18+ years of equipment or manufacturing engineering experience, ideally in an electro‑mechanical assembly environment
• Direct experience purchasing and setting up new automated manufacturing equipment
• Experience writing Standard Operating Procedures and other manufacturing documentation
• Experience working with design engineers and providing DFM/DFA feedback
• Readiness to perform hands‑on build and test of workstations and equipment
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills and ability to effectively collaborate with a wide range of other professionals and suppliers
• Experience with plastic and metal welding, automated assembly, inspection, and test, human‑assist automation for assembly and test, programming automation equipment, and/or MES systems is a plus but not required
• BS in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering

Where You’ll Work

This role is based at Form Factory 1 in Weirton, WV—an easy commute from the city of Pittsburgh, PA. This 550,000-square-foot facility is our hub for high‑volume battery production and a leader in the new era of American energy manufacturing.

Relocation assistance is available.

Humanity is a cornerstone of Form Energy’s culture, and we make sure our compensation and benefits reflect that. Form Energy offers competitive salaries, stock options, and a holistic benefits package to ensure all employees have what they need to thrive while working here.

When it comes to you and your family’s health, we cover 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full‑time employees - and 80% of healthcare premiums for dependents. This starts from day one. We also offer at least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents), and generous vacation policies to give employees time to recharge when needed.

To build America’s energy future, we need everyone at the table. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply to our open jobs.

If you may require reasonable accommodations to participate in our interview process, please contact [e-mail]. Requests for accommodations will be treated with discretion.

Form Energy is committed to maintaining the privacy of our applicants. Please be aware that we will never solicit sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account details during the recruiting or hiring process.