New Product Development Engineer

Packet Digital•Fargo, ND

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Packet Digital is expanding its vertically integrated lithium-ion battery capabilities and seeking a New Product Development (NPD) Engineer to drive the design and development of next-generation pouch-format lithium-ion cells. This engineer will work across early-stage design, prototyping, and pilot manufacturing to ensure that new pouch-cell architectures meet performance, manufacturability, and safety requirements. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in lithium-ion cell engineering, CAD- based mechanical design, and hands-on development experience in cell prototyping and validation.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
Working knowledge of pouch-cell lithium-ion design, including electrode structure, pouching processes, electrolyte selection, and tab design.
Proficiency with CAD/3D modeling tools (SolidWorks, Creo, NX, etc.).
Hands-on experience in cell prototyping, laboratory builds, or early-stage cell development.
Ability to analyze cycling data, performance metrics, and failure modes to guide design improvements.
Strong cross-functional communication skills and ability to work in R&D and pilot- line environment.
Able to travel overseas for training and collaboration.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in engineering or a related discipline.
Industry experience specifically in pouch-cell development or pouch-cell manufacturing.
Familiarity with pilot manufacturing lines (coating, calendaring, slitting, stacking, tab welding, filling, formation).
Experience with mechanical, thermal, or electrochemical simulation tools.
Knowledge of DFM, DFMEA, and design validation methodologies.
Experience with DoD testing and safety standards for lithium-ion systems.

Responsibilities

Lead and support the design of pouch lithium-ion cells, including electrode architecture, stack configuration, mechanical layout, tab design, and pouch dimensions.
Develop detailed 2D and 3D models using CAD software (SolidWorks, Creo, or similar) for electrodes, cell stacks, tabs, and packaging.
Participate in prototyping of pouch cells, including material selection, electrode design iteration, stacking/winding setup, electrolyte selection, pouch-forming considerations, and sealing strategies.
Collaborate with process engineering teams to ensure cell designs align with manufacturing capabilities (mixing, coating, calendaring, slitting, stacking, welding, filling, formation).
Support pilot-line builds and analyze performance, yield, and manufacturability data to drive iterative design improvements.
Generate engineering documentation including drawings, specifications, BOMs, test plans, and validation reports.
Use test and cycling data to improve pouch-cell performance in terms of energy density, cycle life, impedance, thermal behavior, and safety.
Participate in DFM, DFMEA, and engineering reviews to ensure design robustness and manufacturability.
Ensure pouch-cell designs comply with relevant safety and DoD requirements (UN38.3, NAVSEA S9310, MIL-PRF-29595B, etc.).
All other duties as assigned.