Manager, Battery Cell Safety

Rivian•Tustin, CA

About The Position

The Manager, Battery Cell Safety will be responsible for defining, validating, and managing all cell safety requirements for Rivian's current and next-generation battery platforms. This role requires deep technical expertise in lithium-ion cell failure mechanisms, abuse testing, and regulatory requirements, as well as a strong interest and curiosity in how to advance the state of the art in battery cell abuse tolerance and safety. The successful candidate will work closely with Systems Engineering, Pack Design, Pack Validation, Manufacturing Engineering, and Pack Advanced Materials teams to ensure our battery systems meet the highest standards for safety and reliability.

Requirements

Masterʼs or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 8 years of experience in the battery industry, with at least 4 years focused specifically on Li-ion cell safety, failure analysis, and abuse testing.
Proven experience in defining safety requirements for automotive or high-energy storage applications.
Management experience leading a technical team.
Expert-level knowledge of Li-ion cell design, thermal abuse behavior, and failure progression.
Strong understanding of battery regulatory and safety standards.
Proficiency in data analysis tools and simulation software (e.g., MATLAB, Python).
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical information to senior leadership.

Nice To Haves

Deep understanding of lithium ion battery mechanical design and manufacturing methods
Fluency in dimensional variation analysis as it pertains to safety critical design elements of the cell
Familiarity with battery pack manufacturing processes and how they impact the mechanical design of a cell
Experience with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing practices

Responsibilities

Define and maintain comprehensive cell safety specifications and methodologies, including abuse testing requirements (e.g., thermal runaway, hotbox, accelerating rate calorimetry, deformation, nail penetration, overcharge, crush, etc.).
Establish and advocate for internal Rivian cell safety standards that exceed minimum industry and regulatory requirements and support pack-level safety goals.
Integrate cell safety requirements into all stages of the cell development cycle, from selection and qualification through to mass production.
Oversee and execute cell-level abuse testing programs, both internally and with external lab partners.
Develop and implement methods for Thermal Runaway Propagation characterization and mitigation strategies.
Analyze test data to identify failure modes, determine root causes, and drive design and manufacturing improvements.
Work directly with the Cell Development team to influence cell design for intrinsic safety.
Collaborate with systems and analysis teams to integrate cell safety into cohesive Energy Storage System safety goals.
Partner with Pack Engineering to ensure cell-level safety inputs are correctly integrated into the battery pack and module design.
Collaborate with Test and Validation teams to ensure laboratory best practices and operational excellence.
Liaise with Regulatory and Homologation teams to ensure compliance with global safety standards.
Document all safety requirements, test plans, and validation reports.
Provide technical input into the Cell Safety DFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) process.
Mentor and lead a team of cell safety engineers.