Validation Engineer, High Voltage Battery

The Powertrain Engineering team at Zoox is responsible for the design, development, and production of an electric powertrain specifically tailored for our autonomous mobility service. Our team has an action-biased culture marked by integrity, humility, competence, and passion for the Zoox mission and the systems we design. We are building real products here and are looking for doers to join us.
As a validation engineer supporting High Voltage Powertrain development, you will be responsible for establishing and executing a robust and rigorous validation process from requirements development through report approval. This will include managing internal and external testing resources as well as supplier-led validation activities which ensure durability, reliability, and safety targets are satisfied. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to understand root causes of failures, identify mitigation strategies, and incorporate learnings into new designs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage test plans to validate mechanical, electrical, and thermal systems of HV powertrain assemblies (including HV battery, Inverter, electric drive unit, and DC/DC)
• Perform system and component level development and validation testing for the HV powertrain components
• Collaborate with design engineers to ensure that requirements are clearly defined and captured within the validation plan
• Identify appropriate test assets, data acquisition systems, and sensors to ensure high-quality test data
• Analyze test data to provide clear and concise reporting of test results
• Support DFMEA activities to ensure that all potential failure modes are adequate covered within the validation plan
• Support root cause failure analysis activities during development, validation, and deployment
• Design test fixtures necessary to complete testing
• Manage validation schedule to ensure appropriate test assets are available and critical path items are identified

Qualifications

• BS or MS in mechanical engineering, or related relevant field
• 7+ years of experience of test or validation experience related to high voltage powertrain systems (incl. energy storage and power conversion)
• Strong understanding of Lithium-Ion failure modes/mechanisms 
• Experience with failure and root cause analysis of power converter systems, power electronics, and high voltage and low voltage PCB circuits
• Experience generating and managing DFMEAs
• Deep understanding of reliability engineering principles
• Experience with requirements management tools (Polarion or equiv.)
• Experience with a wide variety of lab and measurement equipment including but not limited to: DAQ, Power supply / E-load, Oscilloscope, Load cell/strain gauge, Accelerometer, Pressure transducer, LVDT, Thermocouple, Arbin

Bonus Qualifications

• Familiarity with industry testing standards: SAE, MIL, UN, UL, GB/T, GTR
• Familiarity with 3D design tools. CATIA 3DX or CATIA V5 or SolidWorks preferred
• High voltage and low voltage PCB design
• Familiarity with MATLAB or Python
• EMI / EMC validation experience

Vaccine Mandate
Employees working in this position will be required to have received a single dose of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine OR have completed the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series. In addition, employees will be required to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine by the earlier of (1) April 15 or (2) within two months of becoming eligible for the booster vaccine.
Employees will be required to show proof of vaccination status upon receipt of a conditional offer of employment. That offer of employment will be conditioned upon, among other things, an Applicant’s ability to show proof of vaccination status. Please note the Company provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable state, federal, and local laws.
About Zoox
Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.
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A Final Note:You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.