Senior/Staff Battery Manufacturing Engineer

Rocket Lab; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Battery Manufacturing Engineer to design and scale manufacturing lines for battery packs. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in battery production environments, focusing on process optimization and cross-functional collaboration. This role is integral to enhancing production efficiency and quality at Rocket Lab.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience designing and developing manufacturing lines.
• At least 4 years of battery-related manufacturing experience.
• Deep experience with battery manufacturing technologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize battery manufacturing lines.
• Lead development of automated workstations and integration.
• Collaborate closely with design engineers for design-for-manufacturability.

Skills

Design for Manufacturability

Process validation

Statistical process control

Automated processes

Troubleshooting

Tools

3D CAD Software

Job description

About Zipline

Do you want to change the world? Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building, manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally, wherever they are. From powering Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart, to enabling healthcare providers to bring care directly to U.S. homes, we are transforming the way things move for businesses, governments and consumers. The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need, when you need it. Through our technology that includes robotics and autonomy, we are decarbonizing delivery, decreasing road congestion, and reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, while providing equitable access to billions of people and building a more resilient global supply chain.

About You and The Role

Does working on large, integrated electro-mechanical systems—from small-scale engineering builds to full-scale production and global deployment—excite you? Do you feel driven to dive in when others say something is too difficult or impossible? Are you the “go-to” engineer when it comes to figuring out how to build and scale something that’s never been done before?

At Zipline, our work is built for the real world. Families and patients rely on us every day—there’s no room for falling short or aiming low. If you're passionate about using your engineering talent to create elegant, effective manufacturing solutions, read on.

We’re looking for a highly experienced and dynamic Senior Battery Manufacturing Engineer to join our team. In this role, you’ll be responsible for designing and scaling manufacturing lines to integrate battery packs from individual cells into high-quality, complete assemblies. You will adapt the line to balance increasing demand while maintaining excellent safety and quality. You will work with the team to identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks in the line, adding automation, conveyance, and process improvements tactfully to maximize return on investment of effort and capital. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy managing multiple new developments at once, and can quickly align teams and drive toward solutions, we’d love to hear from you.

What You'll Do:

As a Senior Battery Manufacturing Engineer, you will play a critical role in setting up a 0-1 battery production line, as Zipline scales its production capacity. You’ll apply your technical expertise to understand fundamental design requirements for the battery and translate this into a manufacturing line. This role is highly cross-functional—you’ll collaborate with design engineers, supplier industrial engineers, operations program managers, quality engineers, maintenance teams, and manufacturing technicians. As the ultimate owner of the battery manufacturing lines, you’ll be responsible for developing and validating in-house processes, designing and modifying line layouts, and overseeing fixture and equipment design and fabrication. Your first major project will involve building a battery manufacturing line from the ground up, taking responsibility for the layout, equipment, and safety. .

About You:

You’re a seasoned battery manufacturing engineer with a track record of developing manufacturing lines from prototype and early engineering builds through to full-scale (potentially highly automated) battery or cell production. You’re adept at identifying failure modes that could disrupt high-volume operations, and you proactively design solutions to detect or prevent issues before they arise. With a strong understanding of manufacturing constraints and capabilities, you offer design suggestions that are both efficient to produce and straightforward to inspect. You approach process improvement with an unbiased mindset, distinguishing between critical fixes and nice-to-haves. You raise design and process concerns with humility and foster a collaborative environment where ideas are openly shared. As a trusted technical mentor, you provide guidance and share best practices with junior team members, reviewing their work and supporting their growth.

What You'll Do

• Develop and optimize all battery manufacturing lines, from development, launch, and ramp.
• Lead the development of automated workstations and integration of automated processes and metrology equipment into battery production.
• Lead the development of key processes including wire-bonding, laser welding, automated adhesive dispense, and highly toleranced fixturing..
• Responsible for the cycle time and throughput of End Of Line equipment.
• Collaborate closely with design engineers to drive design-for-manufacturability (DFM), ensuring product designs are optimized for reliable and cost-effective assembly.
• Own tooling and fixture development, from concept through fabrication, installation, and validation, to support scalable and repeatable manufacturing.
• Troubleshoot and resolve production issues, working cross-functionally with quality, design, and maintenance teams to implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Track and analyze manufacturing performance metrics, including first-pass yield, throughput, downtime, and cost of poor quality, to drive data-informed decisions.
• Support prototyping efforts of new battery concepts and products.
• Provide technical mentorship to junior manufacturing engineers and technicians, sharing best practices and reviewing designs and process approaches.

What You'll Bring

• 7+ years of experience designing and developing manufacturing lines - at least 4 years of battery or battery-related manufacturing experience.
• Specific experience leading the development, launch, and ramp of automated battery production lines or battery modules.
• Deep experience with battery manufacturing technologies including wire-bonding and laser welding.
• Deep experience in equipment design and automation design for battery production.
• Skilled at identifying root causes and rapidly implementing sustainable corrective actions in a fast-paced environment.
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM/DFA), manufacturing process validation, and statistical process control.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD Software (Siemens NX preferred).
• End of Line Test Development Experience and experience with scoping test plans, executing tests, analyzing data.

What Else You Need to Know

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!

If you’d like to learn more about Zipline and our teams, feel free to check out our Instagram, one of our Reddit AMA’s, or our website!