Job DescriptionIn this position...
The Battery Cell DV/PV Testing Engineer executes design verification (DV) and process verification (PV) testing on battery cells used in our BESS products, with a primary focus on cell performance and life characterization. This role carries co-equal responsibility for (1) hands-on execution of internal DV/PV performance and life testing, (2) tracking and analyzing performance and life testing conducted by external cell suppliers, and (3) diagnosing cell-level failures through teardown and root-cause analysis, including direct support to the production team during the PV build exercise.
The ideal candidate is comfortable running cell-level test equipment (cyclers, environmental and thermal chambers, DAQ systems) to generate performance and life data, has experience executing DVP&R/PVP&R test plans on lithium-ion or sodium-ion cells, and understands how to translate raw test data into actionable engineering conclusions. This person will also be comfortable diagnosing cell failures, supporting or performing teardown analysis to isolate root cause, and supporting production teams in real time during PV builds. In addition, this person will contribute to the evaluation of future/next-generation cell chemistries for BESS applications. This person will work closely with cell design, pack integration, BMS, quality, and supplier engineering teams to ensure cells meet performance, life, and reliability requirements before and during production ramp.
ResponsibilitiesWhat you'll do...
- Core Responsibilities
- Cell Performance & Life Testing (Internal)
- Execute DV and PV test plans (DVP&R/PVP&R) on internally sourced battery cells, with primary emphasis on performance and life characterization: capacity, impedance/DCIR, rate and power performance, cycle life, calendar life, and coulombic efficiency testing.
- Set up and operate cell test equipment, including battery cyclers, environmental and thermal chambers, and data acquisition systems, to generate performance and life data.
- Support supplementary environmental testing (e.g., thermal cycling, vibration, shock) as needed to complete DV/PV requirements, in coordination with test labs or other engineering teams.
- Supplier Test Tracking & Analysis
- Track the status and schedule of cell test programs being executed by external suppliers, ensuring test plans align with internal DV/PV requirements and program timelines.
- Collect and analyze supplier-generated performance and life test results; compare against internal requirements, internally generated data, and prior supplier lots to identify gaps, trends, or discrepancies.
- Coordinate with supplier engineering contacts to clarify test methods, request missing data, and follow up on open issues or anomalies identified in supplier test results.
- Support review of supplier quality documentation (e.g., DFMEA/PFMEA, control plans, PPAP) as it relates to cell performance and life test data.
- Summarize supplier test outcomes for cell design, quality, and program teams, and flag risks that may affect supplier qualification or sourcing decisions.
- Failure Diagnostics & Teardown Analysis
- Diagnose cell-level failures and anomalies identified during DV/PV testing, field returns, or production builds, applying structured root-cause analysis methods (e.g., 8D, fishbone/Ishikawa, 5-Why).
- Plan and perform teardown analysis of failed or suspect cells, including mechanical disassembly, visual and optical inspection, electrical characterization, and coordination with materials science/failure-analysis labs (e.g., SEM, XRD, CT scan) as needed.
- Document teardown findings, failure modes, and probable root causes in clear, traceable reports; recommend and track corrective and preventive actions.
- Build and maintain a failure-mode knowledge base to support faster diagnosis of recurring or similar issues across programs.
- Data Analysis, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Collect, reduce, and analyze test data from both internal and supplier, and teardown/diagnostic sources; identify anomalies, degradation trends, and out-of-spec conditions; document findings in clear, traceable test reports.
- Maintain test traceability to requirements, test method documentation, and calibration records.
- Communicate test status, results, diagnostic findings and risks to cell design, pack integration, BMS, and quality engineering teams; support design reviews, supplier readiness reviews, PV readiness and program gate reviews.
- Recommend improvements to test methods and data analysis processes to improve efficiency, repeatability, and data quality across both internal and supplier test streams.
- Future BESS Chemistry Development
- Support evaluation, screening, and characterization of next-generation and alternative cell chemistries (e.g., LFP, sodium-ion, and other emerging chemistries) for future BESS product programs.
- Develop and execute test plans and diagnostic protocols tailored to new chemistries, capturing performance, life, and failure-mode data to inform chemistry down-select and readiness decisions.
- Collaborate with cell design and R&D teams to translate teardown and diagnostic learnings into chemistry and cell design improvement recommendations.
- Stay current on emerging cell chemistry trends and failure mechanisms relevant to stationary storage applications, sharing insights with the broader engineering team.
QualificationsYou'll have...
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Chemical, Mechanical, Materials, or a related engineering discipline.
- 3+ years of experience testing battery cells or battery systems in a lab or validation environment.
- Hands-on experience setting up and operating battery cyclers, environmental/thermal chambers, and data acquisition systems.
- Working knowledge of DV/PV testing methodology and DVP&R/PVP&R documentation, with a strong grounding in cell performance and life test methods.
- Experience or working knowledge of failure analysis and teardown techniques for battery cells (mechanical disassembly, visual/optical inspection, electrical characterization).
- Experience tracking or analyzing test results generated by external suppliers or test labs.
- Ability to read and interpret test specifications, engineering drawings, and cell datasheets.
- Strong data analysis skills (Excel and/or MATLAB/Python) and clear technical report writing.
- Ability and willingness to work in a lab environment with battery test articles, including required PPE and safety protocols.
- Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to supplier or external test lab sites.
Even better, you may have...
- Master's degree in Electrical, Chemical, or Materials Engineering.
- Experience with LFP (lithium iron phosphate) or sodium-ion cell chemistries and their characteristic performance and life behavior.
- Experience performing cell teardown and failure analysis, including use of techniques such as SEM, XRD, CT scanning, or similar diagnostic tools (directly or via coordination with a materials/failure-analysis lab).
- Experience supporting production teams during process validation (PV) builds, including real-time troubleshooting and non-conformance resolution.
- Exposure to evaluating or developing next-generation/alternative cell chemistries for energy storage applications.
- Experience supporting cell supplier qualification, including review of DFMEA/PFMEA, control plans, and PPAP documentation.
- Experience in the BESS, EV, or stationary storage industry.
- Six Sigma, IATF 16949, or ISO 17025 lab quality experience.
- Experience correlating cell-level performance and life data and failure analysis to module/pack-level performance outcomes.
- DV/PV test execution and DVP&R/PVP&R documentation
- Cell performance and life characterization (capacity, impedance/DCIR, rate/power, cycle life, calendar life)
- Battery cycler and environmental/thermal chamber setup and operation
- Supplier test tracking and results analysis
- Degradation trend and out-of-spec investigation
- Test data reduction and technical reporting
- Cross-functional coordination with design, quality, and supplier engineering
- Physical Demands & Working Conditions
- This role is primarily performed in an office, laboratory, manufacturing, or supplier environment, depending on program needs.
- Occasional work in high-voltage or industrial environments may be required, with appropriate training and personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to support testing, supplier, manufacturing, or customer activities.
- Location & Travel
- This position is based in Dearborn, Michigan.
- Travel may be required to support supplier, manufacturing, laboratory, and customer activities.
You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!
As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder...or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:
• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year's Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.
This position is a salary grade 6 and ranges from $74,300-$124,500.,
This position is a salary grade 7 and ranges from $86,600-$144,900.,
This position is a salary grade 8 and ranges from $99,100-$166,200.
Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.
For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSR
Company: As Ford establishes a wholly owned subsidiary focused on Battery Energy Storage Systems, this role will initially be employed by Ford and is expected to transition to the subsidiary within one year.This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.
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