Drone Battery/Power Systems Engineer
The job description
Tech stack. Lithium battery systems, BMS design, power distribution architecture, cell characterization, thermal runaway mitigation, charging systems, power electronics, Python/MATLAB
About the role
You will join a drone technology company owning the energy system: batteries, power distribution, and charging infrastructure that determine how long aircraft fly and how safely they operate. You select cells, design battery management, and architect power delivery from pack to motor. Endurance specifications and safety cases both start with your work, and no aircraft ships without your sign-off on its power system. You will also track emerging cell technologies and qualify new suppliers, keeping the company's energy storage roadmap competitive on energy density, safety, and cost.
What you will achieve
- Design battery packs and power distribution systems that meet energy, power, weight, and safety targets for each platform without overdesign.
- Increase usable flight endurance through cell selection, pack optimization, and power system efficiency improvements, verified in instrumented flight test.
- Reduce battery-related safety incidents by implementing robust BMS protection, thermal management, and abuse-tolerance design validated by test.
- Establish battery qualification standards covering cycle life, environmental exposure, and abuse testing that give the company confidence in every pack shipped.
- Drive charging infrastructure, procedures, and operator training that keep fleet operations fast, safe, and compliant with transport regulations.
What you will bring
Must-haves
- 2-5 years of experience with lithium battery systems, power electronics, or energy storage for UAVs, EVs, or portable devices.
- Deep understanding of lithium cell chemistries, performance characteristics, and failure modes relevant to high-discharge-rate applications.
- Experience with BMS design or integration: cell balancing strategies, state-of-charge estimation, and protection circuitry.
- Ability to design and analyze power distribution networks: bus voltages, current ratings, fusing, and connector selection.
- Hands-on battery testing experience: cell characterization, cycle life testing, and abuse testing performed with proper safety procedures.
- Knowledge of battery transport and safety regulations such as UN 38.3 and IATA rules as they apply to products and operations.
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related field.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with smart battery standards such as SMBus or custom battery communication protocols.
- Background in thermal modeling of battery packs under sustained high-rate discharge.
- Familiarity with hydrogen fuel cell or hybrid power systems for extended-endurance UAVs.
- Experience with second-life or recycling considerations for fleet battery management.
Anduril
Skydio
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Zipline
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AeroVironment