Senior Battery Reliability Engineer

Skydio•San Mateo, CA

2d•$170,000 - $230,000

About The Position

Skydio is the leading US drone company and the world leader in autonomous flight, the key technology for the future of drones and aerial mobility. The Skydio team combines deep expertise in artificial intelligence, best-in-class hardware and software product development, operational excellence, and customer obsession to empower a broader, more diverse audience of drone users. From utility inspectors to first responders, soldiers in battlefield scenarios and beyond. About the role: Reliability is our most important feature! Autonomous systems bring together electronics hardware, sensing, and real-time AI software. The complexity of the systems combined with the fact they can move freely in the real world, makes the development, performance, and reliability strategy a key element of delivering a great product. We are seeking a motivated and versatile Senior Reliability Engineer with responsibility for battery subsystems and electronics failure analysis. Through application of battery knowledge and design for reliability principles, you will ensure mission reliability of the system for a diverse range of applications across infrastructure, public safety, and defense. How you will make an impact: Own battery reliability: guide the battery team in all axes of reliability, including thermal design, Design for Reliability of the components (cells, bussing, PCBA, connectors, enclosures, etc), degradation, safety, and testing. Expand and execute battery test capability: specify fixtures, abuse/abnormal testing, cycling, calendar, HPPC, HIL/SIL rigs for BMS algorithms. Immerse yourself in massive datasets from flight telemetry and robust customer analytics to identify problems before they occur, perform risk assessments, Lead Design for Reliability activities (FMEA, FTA, RBD, reliability allocation), facilitate cross-functional reviews, and own FRACAS for fleet issues and returns. Work with leadership to guide future programs/products using analysis of field data and prioritizing design changes A keen interest in contributing across multiple domains to make Skydio products the default choice for users in challenging environments

Requirements

4+ years experience hands-on analysis, testing, modelling, and delivery of reliable high power battery subsystems in rapid development environments
Familiarity with battery degradation and safety, covering considerations for certification against UN, IEC, and UL standards
Direct experience with electrical fault isolation in complex electromechanical or energy storage systems, diving deep into failure analysis only when needed
Extensive knowledge of Design for Reliability principles, Physics of Failure, and integration risks of high performance batteries and electronics
Proficient in Python and SQL to analyze massive datasets for application in Remaining Useful Life analysis
Systems-engineering approach to problem solving, and a knack for rapidly identifying issues within mechanical, electrical, and software domains
Passion for communicating the nuances of hardware reliability to internal and external cross functional teams to help drive organizational priorities

Responsibilities

Own battery reliability: guide the battery team in all axes of reliability, including thermal design, Design for Reliability of the components (cells, bussing, PCBA, connectors, enclosures, etc), degradation, safety, and testing.
Expand and execute battery test capability: specify fixtures, abuse/abnormal testing, cycling, calendar, HPPC, HIL/SIL rigs for BMS algorithms.
Immerse yourself in massive datasets from flight telemetry and robust customer analytics to identify problems before they occur, perform risk assessments
Lead Design for Reliability activities (FMEA, FTA, RBD, reliability allocation), facilitate cross-functional reviews, and own FRACAS for fleet issues and returns.
Work with leadership to guide future programs/products using analysis of field data and prioritizing design changes
A keen interest in contributing across multiple domains to make Skydio products the default choice for users in challenging environments