Senior/Staff Test Engineer - Battery System Integration Testing

Joby Aviation•San Carlos, CA

About The Position

Joby Aviation is seeking a hands-on Senior or Staff Test Engineer to lead battery system integration testing on the Energy Storage and Distribution System (ESDS) Test Team. The role verifies that battery packs, the battery management system (BMS), power distribution, power conversion, and battery thermal management operate together as an integrated, flight-critical energy storage system. As a member of the Powertrain & Electronics Testing Team, the engineer leads system-level verification and validation in an aircraft-representative battery lab, with emphasis on pack-to-aircraft interface verification, integrated BMS functional and algorithm evaluation, fault injection and protection coordination, and mission-profile performance testing. The engineer plans, prepares, executes, and analyzes integrated system tests, collaborating with battery designers, systems engineers, and adjacent subsystem teams. They coordinate configuration-controlled test articles and lead commissioning and maintenance of test labs and equipment. The role also includes pack-level verification, environmental and reliability testing, aircraft network communication debugging, anomaly investigation, certification support, test documentation, and incremental automation of pack- and BMS-functional test setups. The position requires deep attention to high-voltage safety practices.

Requirements

B.S. with 8 or more years of experience, M.S. with 6 or more years of experience, Ph.D. with 3 or more years of experience, or equivalent practical experience.
Experience with battery-system or vehicle-level integration testing, bringing packs, BMS, power electronics, and thermal management together and verifying system behavior across operating modes and interfaces.
Experience working with high-voltage, high-power systems, including electric vehicle or aircraft power electronics and distribution.
Domain knowledge of battery monitoring techniques, BMS functionality, cell and pack failure modes and mitigation, and high-voltage safety.
Practical experience with instrumentation and data acquisition for integrated system testing, including current/voltage sensing, thermocouples, isolation monitoring, and CAN or similar vehicle-bus telemetry.
Experience with environmental stress testing, including thermal and humidity cycling, vibration, and electromagnetic interference.
Strong data handling, processing, and presentation skills, with excellent problem-solving techniques and analytical ability.
Positive attitude and willingness to work individually and as part of a team.
Ability to adapt to evolving requirements and changes in direction.

Nice To Haves

Experience with BMS hardware/software integration and functional verification, including hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing.
Experience with high-voltage lithium-ion battery systems and battery pack cycle-test equipment.
Experience testing airborne hardware to DO-160, DO-311A, SAE, MIL-810, or similar standards; prior DO-160 training is a plus.
Experience commissioning or operating integrated test labs, such as battery labs, powertrain rigs, or vehicle-level test benches.
Experience with MATLAB or Python for post-processing data from equipment under test and external instrumentation.
Experience with LabView for data acquisition and test automation, including invoking equipment functions under different conditions.
Experience with the aircraft FAA certification process.
Strong physics and/or material properties background.
M.S. in Electrical Engineering or a relevant discipline.

Responsibilities

Identify integration test objectives and collaborate with battery design, systems, powertrain, avionics, and thermal teams to develop system-level test matrices, instrumentation needs, and detailed test procedures.
Coordinate configuration-controlled aircraft-representative battery packs, BMS hardware and software builds, and interfacing power distribution, power conversion, and thermal management hardware; ensure configurations are representative and traceable.
Lead integration, commissioning, and maintenance of the aircraft-representative battery lab and interfacing subsystem labs.
Work with Test Equipment Design Engineers to define requirements for battery cyclers, load emulation, thermal conditioning, aircraft-representative electrical interfaces, HV interlocks, and data acquisition architecture.
Perform ESDS system-level integration testing across power-up and power-down sequences, charge and discharge, flight mission profiles, degraded modes, and failure modes, including fault injection and protection coordination.
Work with System Engineers on pack-level verification and validation, including electrical acceptance tests on aircraft-representative packs with Safety-of-Flight documentation, and evaluation of BMS behavior and battery algorithms such as SoC and SoE against system requirements.
Perform supporting characterization, environmental, and reliability testing at pack and subsystem level, including power/thermal and humidity cycling, vibration and shock, and accelerated life testing.
Debug and verify ESDS fly-by-wire network communication, including message content, timing, latency, and fault handling between battery packs/BMS and flight computers over the aircraft data network; troubleshoot interface-, protocol-, and system-level anomalies.
Analyze electrical, thermal, and BMS telemetry data and produce reports that provide quantifiable feedback for design optimization and certification compliance.
Lead root-cause investigations of system-level anomalies and interface issues and document findings for corrective action.
Coordinate and lead test kickoff, test readiness, and data review meetings; plan work and test resources with the Test Program Manager, report progress, and ensure tests are documented and closed out.
Work with Design Engineers, System Engineers, DERs, and Certification Engineers to verify that the integrated ESDS meets design requirements.
Author Qualification Test Plans and Procedures (QTP) and balance iterative R&D testing with formal FAA-witnessed qualification testing.
Incrementally automate pack- and BMS-functional integration test setups while applying high-voltage safety knowledge, including lockout/tagout and prevention best practices.
Maintain a clean workspace and inventory of tools and equipment.