Sr. Battery Design and Release Engineer

Slate Auto • Troy, MI

97d

About The Position

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them. We are looking for a highly skilled Battery Design Release Engineer to lead the development and release of high-voltage battery packs in collaboration with external suppliers. This position requires candidates with experience in clean-sheet battery pack design and launch. Responsibilities include evaluating supplier designs, contributing to technical decisions, and ensuring solutions aligning with program requirements. In addition to program execution, this engineer will play an active role in shaping our future battery strategy, contributing lessons learned, technology insights, and architecture recommendations to guide the next generation of energy storage systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 6+ years of HV battery design and release experience.
• Direct experience taking a battery from clean-sheet concept through production launch.
• Strong technical background in HV battery pack architecture, subsystem design, and materials engineering.
• Proven ability to independently assess, critique, and guide supplier-led designs.
• Demonstrated success in delivering complex supplier-developed components or systems.
• Experience with DFMEA, DVP&R, APQP, and release processes.
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Willingness to travel to supplier and manufacturing sites.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with next-generation pack concepts (cell-to-pack, structural batteries, advanced thermal integration).
• Familiarity with BMS integration, HV distribution, and functional safety (ISO 26262).
• Prior OEM or Tier-1 experience leading supplier-developed battery systems.
• Strategic mindset with ability to translate program lessons into long-term product direction.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the internal technical authority for HV battery pack design, guiding suppliers and ensuring alignment with program, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Critically evaluate supplier design proposals, material choices, and architecture decisions—providing independent engineering judgment to influence outcomes.
• Lead and oversee technical decisions related to HV battery architecture (fusing strategy, busbar design, service disconnects, safety interlocks, grounding).
• Guide material selection for pack enclosures, structures, seals, thermal interfaces, and insulation systems.
• Collaborate with internal teams (systems, thermal, electrical, manufacturing, safety) to ensure seamless integration of the battery into the overall vehicle platform.
• Drive DFMEA reviews, DVP&R planning, and validation with suppliers, ensuring complete coverage of safety-critical areas.
• Represent the battery pack design in program-level reviews, clearly communicating risks, trade-offs, and status to leadership.
• Support supplier and manufacturing site activities, including build support, issue resolution, and launch readiness.
• Maintain ownership of the released design within PLM systems, ensuring traceability and configuration control.
• Contribute to long-term battery strategy, including technology scouting, architecture trade-offs, and design standards for future platforms.

Benefits

• Slate fosters a culture of excellence, innovation, and mutual respect.
• Commitment to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities.

What This Job Offers

• Education Level: Bachelor's degree