Staff Engineer, Battery Capabilities

Sila; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 172,000 - 218,000; Full time

Job summary

Sila in Alameda, CA is seeking a Staff Engineer to lead cylindrical cell manufacturing design. You will define production lines, select equipment, and coordinate installation with cross-functional teams.

You bring 7+ years in lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing with direct cylinder equipment design. Strong project management, safety, and documentation skills are essential to deliver state-of-the-art cells at scale.

Qualifications

• Industry experience: 7+ years in Li-ion battery cell manufacturing with cylindrical cell equipment design and line bring-up
• Engineering fundamentals to inform design choices
• Project management: manage schedules, priorities, cross-team coordination
• Standards & Compliance: safety, automation, and data collection in equipment specs
• Communication & documentation: build durable knowledge bases
• Requires 12+ years with Bachelor’s or 8+ years with Master’s or PhD as described

Responsibilities

• Process architecture: evaluate manufacturing process and equipment designs, advise on cell designs
• Supplier engagement: define equipment needs, lead supplier engagements, review designs
• Installation & testing: oversee installation and acceptance tests onsite
• Process engineering & handoff: develop processes and hand off to operations
• Exemplify Sila values through collaboration and mission support

Skills

Battery manufacturing

Cylindrical cell design

Project management

Communication

Documentation

Education

Bachelor’s in engineering or physical science

Master’s degree

PhD with 5 years experience

Equivalent experience

Job description

Staff Engineer, Cell Manufacturing Design

Alameda, CA

About Us

We are Sila, a next-generation battery materials company. Our mission is to power the world’s transition to clean energy. To create this future, our team is building a better lithium-ion battery from the inside out today. We engineer and manufacture ground-breaking battery materials that significantly increase the energy density of batteries, while reducing their size and weight. The result? Smaller more powerful batteries that can unlock innovation in consumer devices and accelerate the mass adoption of electric cars to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. We're tackling one of the biggest challenges of our time every day, and together we're redefining what's possible. Are you ready to be a part of a team committed to changing the world?

Who You Are

You’re an engineer excited to extend the frontier of domestic lithium-ion cell manufacturing. You understand and can articulate the interplay between cell design, equipment capabilities, and manufacturing line architecture. You have experience evaluating and selecting cell manufacturing equipment and thrive in complex projects where you can help define the vision and take deep ownership of the execution.

As Sila’s first cylindrical Cell Manufacturing Design Engineer, you’ll be at the forefront of expanding Sila’s business into cell manufacturing. You’ll be responsible for specifying new production lines, selecting equipment, coordinating installation, and developing processes for handoff to operations. You’ll work with multiple teams to leverage our innovation, anode manufacturing, and battery engineering experience towards producing state-of-the-art cells.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Process architecture: Perform in-depth evaluations of manufacturing process and equipment designs, highlight critical choices, and advise on cell designs
• Supplier engagement: Define equipment requirements, lead technical engagements with suppliers, review detailed designs, and track project execution
• Installation & testing: Oversee equipment installation and plan and execute detailed acceptance tests, including travel to supplier facilities
• Process engineering & operational handoff: Direct process development and lead handoff to the operations team
• Exemplify Sila’s values through collaboration with our team and support of our mission

Knowledge and Skill Requirements (vs Preferred)

• Industry experience: Minimum 7 years of lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing experience, with direct involvement in cylindrical cell equipment design and line bring-up (preferably state-of-the-art architectures like tabless/single-tab connections and aluminum cans)
• Engineering fundamentals: Ability to appropriately leverage both mechanical fundamentals and internal or external experience to inform design choices
• Project management: Demonstrated ability to manage project schedules, clearly define priorities, and coordinate across internal teams and external vendors
• Standards & Compliance: Experience incorporating safety, automation, and data collection best practices and regulatory requirements into equipment specifications
• Communication & documentation: Strong communication skills with a track record of building accessible, durable knowledge bases
• Requires a minimum of 12 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s in engineering or physical science; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years experience; or equivalent experience.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and safety shoes
• Move items up to 30 lbs with the assistance of lift equipment and carts
• Move long distances (such as from building to building)
• Perform extended work inside low-humidity dry room environments

The starting base pay for this role is between $172,000 and $218,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, and equity. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. LI#-RS1 LI#-Onsite

Working at Sila

We believe that building a diverse team at Sila helps us amplify our individual talents. We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to creating an inclusive environment where good ideas are free to come from anyone. We are proud to celebrate diversity and all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, national origin, or any other status protected by law.

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