Staff Battery Cell Safety Engineer

Rivian•Tustin, CA

13d

About The Position

The Staff Battery Cell Safety Engineer will be responsible for defining, validating, and managing all cell safety requirements for Rivian's current and next-generation battery platforms. This role requires deep technical expertise in lithium-ion cell failure mechanisms, abuse testing, and regulatory requirements, as well as a strong interest and curiosity in how to advance the state of the art in battery cell abuse tolerance and safety. The successful candidate will work closely with Systems Engineering, Mechanical Design and Analysis, Test and Validation, Manufacturing Engineering, and Pack Advanced Materials teams to ensure our battery systems meet the highest standards for safety and reliability.

Requirements

Roughly 5 years of experience in the battery industry, focused specifically on Li-ion cell safety, failure analysis, and abuse testing.
Master’s or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
Knowledgeable in high voltage battery packs and the future regulatory landscape for high voltage battery packs.
Familiar with cell abuse testing methodologies and common cell failure modes.
Experience coordinating internal technical staff and external third party test resources.
Expert-level knowledge of Li-ion cell design, thermal abuse behavior, and failure progression.
Proven experience in defining safety requirements for automotive or high-energy storage applications.
Strong understanding of battery regulatory and safety standards.
Proficiency in data analysis tools and simulation software (e.g., MATLAB, Python).
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical information to cross-functional teams and senior leadership.

Responsibilities

Define and develop comprehensive cell safety specifications and methodologies, including abuse testing requirements (e.g., thermal runaway, hotbox, accelerating rate calorimetry, deformation, nail penetration, overcharge, crush, etc.).
Establish and advocate for internal Rivian cell safety standards that exceed minimum industry and regulatory requirements and support pack-level safety goals.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional safety colleagues and supplier teams to translate higher level safety goals and requirements into actionable cell-level safety specifications.
Coordinate internal technical staff and external third party test resources to oversee and execute cell-level abuse testing programs.
Analyze test data to identify failure modes, determine root causes, and drive design and manufacturing improvements.
Develop and implement methods for Thermal Runaway Propagation characterization and mitigation strategies.
Integrate cell safety requirements into all stages of the cell development cycle, from selection and qualification through to mass production.
Partner with Pack Engineering to ensure cell-level safety inputs are correctly integrated into the battery pack and module design.
Provide technical input into the Cell Safety DFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) process.
Document all safety requirements, test plans, and validation reports.