Staff Thermal/ Mechanical Engineer, Battery System - Req 1593

QuantumScape is on a mission to transform energy storage with solid-state lithium-metal battery technology. The company’s next-generation batteries are designed to enable greater energy density, faster charging and enhanced safety to support the transition away from legacy energy sources toward a lower carbon future.

About the role: As Thermal/ Mechanical Engineer, you own the physical design of the energy storage products. You integrate circuit boards and battery cells into a manufacturable module that fits the shelf, and a shelf that fits the rack. Your design can survive the data center environment and can be serviced by a technician in seconds.

Why this role matters: This role will be supporting hyperscale customers who have strict requirements on dimensions and compatibility. You will be the company's primary interface to the hyperscaler's mechanical integration team during qualification. Your design fluency with their unwritten preferences (not just the published specs) can compress the qualification timeline by months. In a product where power electronics and battery cells share a tight enclosure, you are the person who makes coexistence physically possible.

What you'll do:

Design the complete mechanical enclosure in SolidWorks or Creo: sheet metal chassis, heat sinking, busbar routing, internal structural supports, hot swapping mechanisms, and external connector interfaces

Solve the core thermal challenge: High power density with thermal dissipation from both cells and power electronics, utilizing airflow and thermal mass of components

Run CFD simulations (Solidworks, Ansys, or similar) to optimize thermal design

Design to OCP or customer specifications: shelf width, depth, connector position, ventilation, hot-swapping, and weight-per-OU limits

Develop guiderails, retention features and position sensing for tool-less service

Collaborate with the battery systems engineer on cell mounting, compression, thermal interface materials, and mechanical isolation within the enclosure

Perform vibration and shock analysis for transportation (UN38.3 or similar)

Lead DFM engagement with contract manufacturers: tolerances, tooling, bend radii, spot welding, PEM fastener insertion, and assembly sequence optimization

Ensure design meeting safety and regulatory requirements

Interface directly with hyperscaler mechanical teams to ensure compatibility

What you bring:

8+ years designing thermal-mechanical enclosures for rack-mount power, compute, or telecom equipment

Demonstrated experience with FEA/CFD thermal simulation tools (Ansys, Solidworks, etc) - not optional

Proficiency in SolidWorks or Creo for detailed mechanical design

Calculation of material thickness, loading and deflection, define welding methods and locations, provide guidance for mounting PCBAs in the enclosure, ensuring mechanical alignment (blind mate connectors, board-board connectors, etc)

Sheet metal design for volume manufacturing (bend radii, punching/stamping, CNC, spot welding, tolerance stackup analysis)

Experience in plastic injection molding, aluminum extrusion and tooling design

Experience working with PCBAs (clearance, insulation, grounding, etc)

Track record of designs that went through mass production with DFM rules, and passed thermal/system validation in a data center environment

Understanding of airflow management in forced-convection rack environments

Nice to have:

Direct experience with OCP Open Rack/ ORv3 mechanical specifications

Prior work on battery pack design (EV, stationary storage, UPS, BBU, etc)

Exposure to liquid cooling or cold plate design (emerging trend for rack power shelves)

Experience with bus bar and high current blind-mate connector integration (Amphenol, TE Connectivity, or Molex high-power connectors)

Familiarity with UL 1973, UL9540A, UN38.3, IEC62619 and UL62368-1 mechanical/flammability requirements

Knowledge of IP67/NEMA ratings for potential edge or outdoor deployment variants

Experience with vibration/shock/drop testing of battery packs

ONSITE: This position is required to work onsite 5 days per week to meet the minimum essential duties and requirements of this position.  As an on-site R&D and manufacturing operations organization, in-person face to face interaction is essential to building authentic relationships, trust, teamwork, and collaboration.

Compensation & Benefits: Expected salary range for this role is from $136,700 to $208,500, and a final salary will be determined by the candidate's experience, educational background and internal equity. QuantumScape also offers an annual bonus and a generous RSU/Equity package as part of its compensation plan. In addition, we do offer a tremendous benefits plan including employee paid health care, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and other benefits.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.