Staff Engineer

about 2 months ago
Full time role
In-person · Emeryville, CA, US... more

About Us

We are Sila, a next-generation battery materials company. Our mission is to power the world’s transition to clean energy. To create this future, our team is building a better lithium-ion battery from the inside out today. We engineer and manufacture ground-breaking battery materials that significantly increase the energy density of batteries, while reducing their size and weight. The result? Smaller more powerful batteries that can unlock innovation in consumer devices and accelerate the mass adoption of electric cars to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. We're tackling one of the biggest challenges of our time every day, and together we're redefining what's possible. Are you ready to be a part of a team committed to changing the world?

Who You Are

Collaborate with other teams to develop equipment for scaling up first-of-their-kind material manufacturing processes. Support scaleup calculations, analysis and experiments involving kinetics, transport and heat transfer. Build heat and mass transfer models using Python and/or COMSOL(2D/3D) to perform detailed thermal design optimization for factory-scale equipment under various conditions. Develop multiphysics models involving coupling between key physics involved in a given process to estimate reactor performance across different conditions and scales and validate the same using lab-scale experiments and other available data. Work with in-house teams and outside vendors to develop a database of material (thermal) properties of proprietary materials, which is required for calculations to spec equipment by internal teams as well as external vendors. Plan and perform experiments to explore new reactor technologies and develop an understanding of the underlying physics. Support and lead testing of equipment with external partners to obtain critical performance data to help with scale-up calculations. Gather feedback from end-users of work and distill into meaningful modifications. Iterate. Engage with a range of different external parties (fabricators, equipment OEMs, consultants, contractors) and manage complex technical procurements to success. Support testing and/or vendor trials on weekends if needed.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements 

Master’s degree or foreign equivalent in mechanical engineering, or a closely related field.

Six (6) years of experience in job offered, staff engineer, or related occupation.
Any amount of experience in additional requirements section below will be acceptable unless specific amount is noted. *All experience can be concurrent* Additional requirements: Prior academic background or work experience must include six (6) years of post-bachelor's progressive experience in all of the following:
1) Design and development of reactors/process technology/energy systems.
2) Building and validation of models for the following physical phenomena, including coupling between these phenomena: heat transfer, fluid flow, thermochemistry, and mechanical stress at various fidelity
levels (0D, 1D, 2D, 3D) to understand the impact of key factors on performance.
3) Technological development, working in thermal/fluidic design, mechanical design, testing and performance benchmarking of mechanical and thermal/fluidic systems.
4) Programming in Python or MATLAB.
5) 3D CAD and 2D/3D modeling in CFD software applications.
6) Collaborating with vendors, OEMs, contractors, external parties for sourcing and engineering development.
7) Designing and implementing experiments involving thermal fluids systems.
8) Hardware troubleshooting, data acquisition and analysis.
9) Technical presentation and report writing.


The starting base pay for this role is between $151,000 and $204,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity, and bonuses.  The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.


Please either apply on this website or please email resume to careers@silanano.com and reference Job Code #SE7.

 

Working at Sila

We believe that building a diverse team at Sila helps us amplify our individual talents. We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to creating an inclusive environment where good ideas are free to come from anyone. We are proud to celebrate diversity and all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, national origin, or any other status protected by law.