Senior Engineer, Mechanical Design
About The Position
QuantumScape is seeking a Senior Engineer, Mechanical Design, for its Hardware, Automation, and Metrology team. The role leads mechanical design of custom, first-of-a-kind automation and process equipment supporting the company’s next-generation solid-state battery technology. The engineer owns mechanical design across the equipment lifecycle, from concept and prototyping through detailed design, build, qualification, and handoff to manufacturing. The position involves defining mechanical architecture, managing design risks, and ensuring equipment is robust, manufacturable, serviceable, safe, and suitable for production scaling. The engineer works closely with systems, controls, electrical, process, manufacturing, and EHS partners, and provides technical leadership by mentoring engineers and helping establish mechanical design practices and standards. The position is onsite five days per week and includes limited supplier and equipment-related travel.
Requirements
- Master’s degree or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field with typically 3 or more years of relevant industry or applied engineering experience; alternatively, a bachelor’s degree with 5 or more years of progressively responsible mechanical engineering experience; or a Ph.D. with no experience.
- Deep, hands-on expertise in mechanism, hardware, and automation equipment design, including ownership of complex mechanical systems.
- Practical experience with machining, additive manufacturing (3D printing), and sheet metal fabrication.
- Advanced proficiency in 3D CAD tools such as SolidWorks, Inventor, and CATIA, including producing production-ready models and assemblies.
- Strong working knowledge of ASME Y14.5 GD&T standards and applying them to detailed mechanical drawings.
- Ability to apply strength of materials, machine design theory, and physics-based reasoning to estimate loads, assess factors of safety, select materials, and size mechanical components for reliability and scalability.
- Ability to exercise independent technical judgment, solve complex and ambiguous mechanical problems, and influence design best practices across teams.
- Ability to collaborate across mechanical systems, controls, electrical, process, manufacturing, and EHS disciplines with minimal supervision.
- Willingness to support limited travel, approximately 5% domestic and 5% international.
Nice To Haves
- 1–2 years of experience designing solid-state, lithium-ion, or fuel-cell battery cell manufacturing systems.
- Certification in GD&T standards.
- Certification in 3D CAD tools.
Responsibilities
- Lead mechanical design and development of critical, first-of-a-kind automation and process equipment.
- Own mechanical design scope from concept definition through detailed design, build, qualification, and handoff to manufacturing; make technical decisions and manage risk and design readiness.
- Conduct hands-on mechanical design, prototyping, and validation to identify robust solutions suitable for volume production.
- Define mechanical architecture, subsystem interfaces, and design approaches, incorporating design for manufacturing and assembly (DFM/DFA), reliability, maintainability, and safety.
- Partner with systems, controls, electrical, process, manufacturing, and EHS teams throughout specifications, design reviews, prototyping, assembly, testing, FAT/SAT, and continuous improvement.
- Mentor engineers, influence best practices, and help shape mechanical design standards across the Hardware, Automation, and Metrology team.
- Support supplier engagement, build reviews, and equipment qualification through limited domestic and international travel.
Benefits
- Annual bonus.
- RSU/equity package.
- Employee-paid health care.
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
- Other benefits are offered, but not specified.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
