Sr Staff Engineer – EV Battery System

CDM Technology; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

CDM Technology seeks a Sr. Staff Engineer – EV Battery Systems to provide technical leadership from concept through production. You will own architecture, drive design and development, and mentor the team in high-voltage battery systems.

You will define roadmaps, lead module/pack design, ensure DVP&Rs, and coordinate with suppliers and internal teams to meet PPAP and IATF 16949 requirements. This senior IC role requires hands-on leadership in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Hands-on leader with HV battery systems experience.
• Cell, module and pack design, and thermal management experience.
• Experience with validation and production release processes.
• Proficiency with CATIA V6 / 3DExperience.

Responsibilities

• Define and own technical strategy, architecture, and development roadmaps for EV battery systems.
• Lead battery system and component design including enclosures, modules, busbars, and thermal management systems.
• Serve as a senior technical authority for battery engineering and guide design tradeoffs.
• Establish engineering standards, design practices, and development processes for battery systems.
• Mentor engineers and develop the team's battery design and release capabilities.
• Lead FMEAs and risk-assessment activities to mitigate risks.
• Coordinate internal engineers, suppliers, and external resources through development and production release.
• Ensure traceability between designs and production parts.
• Plan and execute DVP&Rs and process validation plans.
• Collaborate with purchasing and quality teams on supplier selection and requirements.

Skills

Technical leadership

System architecture

Thermal management

Engineering communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Electrical/Automotive Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

CATIA V6

3DExperience

Jira

Confluence

PLM/PDM systems

Job description

We are seeking a highly experienced Sr. Staff Engineer – EV Battery Systems to provide technical leadership for advanced electric-vehicle battery systems. This is a senior individual-contributor role responsible for establishing battery system architecture, driving design and development, and supporting programs from early concept through production.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical leader with deep experience in automotive high-voltage battery systems, including cell selection, module and pack design, thermal management, validation, and production release.

What You'll Do

• Define and own technical strategy, architecture, and development roadmaps for EV battery systems.
• Lead battery system and component design, including enclosures, modules, busbars, structural components, and thermal management systems.
• Serve as a senior technical authority for battery engineering and provide guidance on complex design decisions and technical tradeoffs.
• Establish engineering standards, design practices, and development processes for battery systems.
• Mentor engineers and help develop the team's battery design and release capabilities.
• Lead FMEAs and other risk-assessment activities to identify and mitigate system and component-level risks.
• Direct and coordinate internal engineers, designers, suppliers, and external engineering resources through development and production release.
• Manage design revisions and configuration control to maintain traceability between engineering designs and production parts.
• Use 3DExperience/CATIA V6 for 3D modeling, 2D drawings, part design, assembly design, and design reviews.
• Develop components and systems for function, performance, durability, manufacturability, and quality.
• Own the creation and execution of Design Validation Plans (DVP&Rs) and process validation plans.
• Work with purchasing and quality teams to guide supplier selection and ensure components meet technical and manufacturing requirements.
• Develop or collaborate with suppliers on battery component testing, including safety and abuse testing.
• Contribute directly to battery structure, frame, module, and pack development.
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing, quality, simulation, program management, and vehicle integration teams.
• Ensure battery components and suppliers meet applicable PPAP and IATF 16949 requirements.
• Coordinate testing activities, equipment, facilities, and third-party resources.
• Document engineering processes and technical decisions using tools such as Confluence.
• Plan and prioritize engineering activities using task-management tools such as Jira.

Qualifications

• Hands-on technical leader with extensive experience developing automotive high-voltage battery systems.
• Extensive experience with cell chemistry, cell selection, module and pack design, and thermal management.
• Deep experience with automotive system and component design, analysis, validation, and production release.
• Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical schematics.
• Expert-level proficiency with CATIA V6 / 3DExperience, including 3D modeling and 2D drawing creation.
• Extensive experience with PLM/PDM systems.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across cross-functional teams without formal authority.
• Proven experience mentoring and developing engineers.
• Strong technical communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex engineering tradeoffs to leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to take ambiguous, technically challenging programs from concept through completion.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, resource-constrained engineering environment.
• Extensive experience testing and validating high-voltage battery systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced proficiency with CATIA V6 / 3DExperience.
• Experience performing or interpreting FEA/FEM.
• Experience with Jira or similar engineering project-management tools.
• Experience with cell development, cell selection, or supplier qualification for EV, aerospace, or energy-storage applications.
• Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Familiarity with SAE, FMVSS, UN 38.3, or other applicable battery and automotive standards.
• Experience developing thermal-runaway detection, prevention, containment, or propagation-mitigation strategies.

Role & Team

This is a senior individual-contributor and technical-lead position within the battery engineering organization. The successful candidate will establish technical direction, review and approve designs, mentor engineers, and collaborate closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, vehicle integration, and program leadership.

Required Experience

• 12+ years of experience in EV, automotive, or high-voltage battery systems engineering.
• Experience spanning multiple successful product or production programs.
• 6+ years of experience as a design/release engineer or equivalent, including ownership of component- or system-level programs from concept through production.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or equivalent technical experience; Master's degree preferred.