Staff Battery Test & Safety Engineer

Department: Engineering

Location: Palo Alto

Employment Type: FullTime

About ALSO.

We’re ALSO, an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian. We’re a passionate team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators, focused on creating entirely new (not to mention, innovative and delightful) vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet the global mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO—replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones on vehicles that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.

ALSO is looking for a Battery Test Engineer to build, test, and root cause failures in the next generation of batteries for light electric vehicles. This person will develop and execute test plans, perform physical testing, and evaluate / make design recommendations on battery safety. This role combines hands-on testing expertise with data analysis and technical documentation.

What You Will Do

• Build and test prototype battery packs for light electric vehicles as part of a small agile team.

• Be responsible for the evaluating and improving the battery safety with a focus on passive propagation resistance.

• Collaborate with design, systems and reliability engineers to generate test plans and take responsibility for the end-to-end execution, analysis, and reporting to critical stakeholders

• Execute thermal - electrical performance verification, reliability, durability, and safety (thermal runaway) testing while maintaining detailed documentation of procedures and results

• Set up and operate test equipment including DAQs and various sensors to collect and monitor test data across different test conditions

• Coordinate with 3rd party vendors, contract manufacturers and test facilities.

• Analyze test results and prepare clear technical summaries documenting methodologies, observations, and conclusions

• Support the maintenance and calibration of test equipment while helping develop new test fixtures and setups

• Travel to visit test vendors up to 15% of the time

What You Will Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field

• Strong grasp of lithium ion battery construction methods, failure modes, cells, charging methods, high voltage/high current safety

• Expertise in lab testing equipment including PPR/thermal runaway, shock/vibration systems, leak checkers, thermal chambers, salt spray chambers, power supplies, electronic loads, battery cyclers, oscilloscopes, thermocouples, and thermistors.

• Understanding of data acquisition systems, sensors, test equipment, and experience with basic programming or scripting for data analysis (Python, MATLAB, or similar)

• Strong problem-solving abilities and eagerness to learn new testing methods and technologies with excellent documentation and communication skills

The salary for this position ranges from $220,000 to $255,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.

Why ALSO.

We’re passionate about helping the world find a better way to get there—wherever it is you’re headed.

We’re located in the heart of Silicon Valley and have brought together a world-class team from some of the biggest brands in the technology, automotive, cycling, outdoor recreation and retail spaces. 

Together we’re working hands-on to imagine, design and build an entirely new solution to a global set of transportation challenges. 

Perks and Benefits

• Robust health coverage. Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by ALSO with FSA & HSA options.

• One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates.

• Rich fertility and family building benefits with Progyny.

• Flexible time off. 

• 401(k) match.