Senior Cell Abuse Test Engineer

At Wisk, we're transforming the future of urban mobility through safe, all-electric, autonomous flight. We are a passionate team working together toward a sustainable future, solving high-impact problems that have never been solved before. By delivering everyday flight for everyone, we're making it possible to spend less time getting there and more time being there. If you want to be part of shaping the future of mobility, then read on!

We are looking for a Senior Cell Abuse Test Engineer to join our team. The goal of a Senior Cell Abuse Test Engineer at Wisk is to ensure that validated performance and degradation physics based  models are delivered. You will be part of the ESPS team that deliver the modeling and simulation solutions. 

Due to the nature of the work required for this position, this is an onsite opportunity. You will be required to work from our Fremont office.

What you will do: 

• As part of the ESPS organization, and deployed in a cell engineering team you will act as a battery cell abuse test engineer for a novel type of aircraft development targeting the autonomous UAM market

• You'd conduct destructive tests on individual battery cells  including thermal, electrical, and mechanical scenarios such as thermal runaway, overcharge, short circuit, mechanical crush, and penetration tests.

• You'd perform and develop methods for destructive analysis and teardowns to identify the root cause of failures and problems.

• Operate and manage environmental chambers, and safety systems, ensuring safe and accurate execution of abuse tests.

• You'd need to be able to perform tests on both individual cells and battery modules, with assignments based on your experience and current project needs.

• You’d design cell-level abuse tests from failure modes and certification from ESPS

• You might also be involved in building, assembling, and commissioning test equipment, and serving as the primary contact for equipment troubleshooting.

• You’d perform cell performance testing under the supervision of senior cell development engineers

• You’d correlate cell material composition and cell design to safety and failure modes of the battery cells

• Support the development of failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)  and hazard analysis on cell design to ensure robust safety features in battery management systems (BMS).

• Maintain an organized, safe, and efficient test environment, upholding the highest standards of safety and quality.

• You will support cross-functional collaboration, providing insights to battery cell design, thermal engineering, and safety teams to drive safety-focused innovations.

• You will help support problem-solving activities, identifying potential safety risks through test data analysis and simulation correlations.

• You will coordinate and oversee abuse testing logistics, including test fixture design, instrumentation setup, and data acquisition systems.

• In some areas, you will be working closely with certification and regulatory teams to ensure compliance with aviation safety standards, including DO-311A, UL 2580, and UN 38.3.

• You will plan and execute technical reports, safety assessments, and presentations to support design reviews, certification processes, and regulatory submissions.

• You'd be responsible for transforming raw test data into clear, meaningful conclusions and ensuring thorough documentation.

•  You'd share your findings and reports with internal technical teams, external suppliers, and even executives when necessary.

• You'd work closely with technicians, treating them as peers to achieve test objectives. This also involves creating work plans, daily schedules, and setting priorities for junior staff to ensure timely and effective delivery of test results.

• This includes owning or contributing to tasks like creating and maintaining procedures, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), standards, equipment inspections, lab commissioning, facilities management, maintenance, and staff training.

• You'd be expected to acquire knowledge of relevant standards, guidelines, and norms for equipment safety and lab processes. Projects will require you to work with hazardous materials, necessitating the use of mandated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and to set up and perform tests in person within lab environments.