Test Engineer II, Mechanical

Form Energy; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Form Energy is hiring a Test Engineer to join the Test Engineering team. You will work with mechanical and structural design teams to create custom test fixtures and run qualification tests for our iron-air battery systems, including data acquisition and reporting findings to design teams.

This role emphasizes hands-on testing, collaboration across disciplines, and adherence to MIL-STD-810 standards, with relocation assistance available and opportunities to travel for external testing facilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, or related field with 2–4 years of industry experience in structural hardware testing.
• Hands-on proficiency with electrodynamic or hydraulic shaker systems, shock testers, data acquisition hardware, and understanding of structural dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Develop, execute, and own comprehensive qualification test strategies, running mechanical test campaigns across modules, enclosures, and assemblies.
• Design and develop specialized test fixtures to mount and load test articles, and perform structural/modal analysis to validate fixture performance.
• Partner with structural, packaging, electrochemical, and mechanical design engineers to translate requirements into testable specs.
• Instrument test articles with sensors (accelerometers, strain gauges, load cells), configure data acquisition, and apply standards (e.g., MIL-STD-810).
• Analyze, post-process, and reduce test data, and generate detailed technical reports with pass/fail criteria and design recommendations.
• Drive lab improvements, support root-cause investigations, and travel to external test facilities when needed.

Skills

Test Strategy

Fixture Design

Data Acquisition

Python

MATLAB

Cross-functional Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Structural Engineering

Tools

Electrodynamic Shaker Systems

Data Acquisition Hardware

Structural/Modal Analysis

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

Form Energy is hiring a Test Engineer to join our Test Engineering team. In this position, you will work closely with mechanical and structural design teams to develop custom test fixtures and testing campaigns for our iron-air battery systems. You will collaborate with internal teams and external labs to execute a range of mechanical qualification testing including structural, environmental, and durability testing as well as taking responsibility for data acquisition, processing, and reporting findings back to design teams. This is a highly impactful, hands-on opportunity to join a growing team and establish the testing frameworks that ensure our revolutionary grid-scale technology survives real-world environments.

Relocation assistance is available.

What you’ll do:

• Test Strategy & Execution: Develop, execute, and own comprehensive qualification test strategies, running mechanical test campaigns including structural, environmental, and durability testing across battery modules, enclosures, and structural assemblies.

• Fixture Design & Analysis: Design and develop specialized test fixtures to mount and load test articles, and perform structural/modal analysis to validate fixture performance before physical testing.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner directly with structural, packaging, electrochemical, and mechanical design engineers to translate transportation, environmental, and field requirements into testable, repeatable specifications.

• Instrumentation & Data Acquisition: Instrument test articles with sensors such as accelerometers, strain gauges, and load cells, configure data acquisition systems, and apply relevant test standards (for example, MIL-STD-810) to create new component-level test profiles.

• Data Processing & Reporting: Analyze, post-process, and reduce test data to identify trends or anomalies, and generate detailed technical reports outlining pass/fail criteria and design recommendations.

• Lab Support & External Travel: Drive continuous improvement within the lab environment, support root-cause investigations when hardware fails, and travel when necessary to external test facilities to execute testing.

What you’ll bring:

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related field, combined with 2-4 years of industry experience in structural hardware testing.

• Testing Hardware Literacy: Hands-on proficiency with electrodynamic or hydraulic shaker systems, shock testers, data acquisition hardware, and a solid understanding of structural dynamics (natural frequency, resonance, and damping).

• Software & Analysis Skills: Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for equipment control and data processing, with the ability to convert raw validation data into meaningful engineering conclusions.

• Test Protocol Expertise: Proven ability to interpret and build upon existing standards (like MIL-STD-810) to create new validation protocols and lead root-cause failure investigations.

• Hands-on Aptitude: Strong mechanical intuition and comfort working in an R&D lab environment setting up new test capabilities, fabricating fixtures, and using mechanical hand tools.

• Collaborative Communication: Exceptional cross-functional communication skills, with a track record of gathering multidisciplinary stakeholder input and delivering clear technical findings to a wide audience.
  

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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.