Failure Analysis Engineer NGP
About The Position
QuantumScape is on a mission to transform energy storage with solid-state lithium-metal battery technology. The company’s next-generation batteries are designed to enable greater energy density, faster charging and enhanced safety to support the transition away from legacy energy sources toward a lower carbon future. The Failure Analysis (FA) team at QuantumScape plays a critical role in advancing next‑generation battery technology by uncovering the true root causes behind defects and reliability issues. We are a highly collaborative, cross‑functional group with deep expertise across engineering, materials science, reliability, and manufacturing. As an onsite R&D and manufacturing organization, we work closely with reliability, product engineering, and manufacturing partners to rapidly learn from failures and translate insights into design and process improvements. The team values curiosity, rigor, teamwork, and hands‑on problem‑solving, and provides strong mentorship for early‑career engineers. We are seeking a Failure Analysis Engineer who is intellectually curious, eager to learn, and excited to build a foundation in failure analysis and reliability engineering. This role is ideal for a recent bachelor’s graduate who enjoys hands‑on lab work, data analysis, and systematic problem‑solving. You will work alongside experienced FA and reliability engineers to support investigations, analyze data, and help characterize failure mechanisms. Through structured mentorship and real project exposure, you’ll develop strong technical fundamentals, communication skills, and an understanding of how failure analysis informs design and manufacturing decisions at scale.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related technical field (completed or expected by start date).
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with a curiosity for understanding failure mechanisms.
- Basic familiarity with data analysis or programming tools (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R, JMP, or similar).
- Ability to clearly communicate technical information in written reports and presentations.
- Willingness to work hands‑on in a laboratory and manufacturing‑adjacent environment.
Nice To Haves
- Coursework or project experience related to failure analysis, materials characterization, reliability, or statistics.
- Exposure to statistical concepts (e.g., distributions, basic reliability metrics).
- Internship, co‑op, or research experience in an engineering or manufacturing environment.
- Interest in energy storage, batteries, or high‑reliability systems.
Responsibilities
- Support hands‑on failure analysis on components and systems under guidance from senior engineers.
- Assist in data collection, organization, and analysis to identify patterns and trends in defect and reliability data.
- Learn and apply foundational statistical and analytical techniques to support reliability characterization.
- Contribute to dashboards, data summaries, and visualizations that help teams quickly understand key signals.
- Document findings in clear, well‑structured technical reports and presentations.
- Collaborate with cross‑functional partners in reliability, manufacturing, and product engineering to support root‑cause investigations and corrective actions.
- Participate in lab work, sample preparation, and characterization activities as part of ongoing investigations.
Benefits
- annual bonus
- generous RSU/Equity package
- employee paid health care
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
