Cell Dv/Pv Testing Engineer, Ford Energy

Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating U.S. energy independence. Leveraging Ford's century of manufacturing excellence and world-class battery energy storage systems (BESS) technology, Ford Energy designs, manufactures, and services grid-scale and commercial DC battery energy storage systems (BESS). Ford Energy is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand for reliable, US-built energy storage systems. We are not just building batteries; we are building the infrastructure for the next generation of the American grid.

Why Ford Energy?

At Ford Energy, you have the backing of an industrial manufacturing powerhouse with the agility of a dedicated energy startup offering industry leading technology. We offer a competitive compensation package including performance-based bonuses, Ford vehicle discounts, and the opportunity to shape the energy strategy of one of the world's most iconic brands. Learn more at https://fordenergy.com.

In this position...

The Battery Cell DV/PV Testing Engineer executes design verification (DV) and process verification (PV) testing on battery cells used in our BESS products, with a primary focus on cell performance and life characterization. This role carries co-equal responsibility for (1) hands-on execution of internal DV/PV performance and life testing, (2) tracking and analyzing performance and life testing conducted by external cell suppliers, and (3) diagnosing cell-level failures through teardown and root-cause analysis, including direct support to the production team during the PV build exercise.

The ideal candidate is comfortable running cell-level test equipment (cyclers, environmental and thermal chambers, DAQ systems) to generate performance and life data, has experience executing DVP&R/PVP&R test plans on lithium-ion or sodium-ion cells, and understands how to translate raw test data into actionable engineering conclusions. This person will also be comfortable diagnosing cell failures, supporting or performing teardown analysis to isolate root cause, and supporting production teams in real time during PV builds. In addition, this person will contribute to the evaluation of future/next-generation cell chemistries for BESS applications. This person will work closely with cell design, pack integration, BMS, quality, and supplier engineering teams to ensure cells meet performance, life, and reliability requirements before and during production ramp.

About Ford Energy Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating US energy independence. Leveraging Ford's century of manufacturing excellence and world-class battery energy storage systems (BESS) technology, Ford Energy designs, manufactures, and services grid-scale and commercial DC battery energy storage systems (BESS). Ford Energy is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand for reliable, US-built energy storage systems. We are not just building batteries; we are building the infrastructure for the next generation of the American grid.

What you'll do...

• Core Responsibilities

• Cell Performance & Life Testing (Internal)

• Execute DV and PV test plans (DVP&R/PVP&R) on internally sourced battery cells, with primary emphasis on performance and life characterization: capacity, impedance/DCIR, rate and power performance, cycle life, calendar life, and coulombic efficiency testing.

• Set up and operate cell test equipment, including battery cyclers, environmental and thermal chambers, and data acquisition systems, to generate performance and life data.

• Support supplementary environmental testing (e.g., thermal cycling, vibration, shock) as needed to complete DV/PV requirements, in coordination with test labs or other engineering teams.

• Supplier Test Tracking & Analysis

• Track the status and schedule of cell test programs being executed by external suppliers, ensuring test plans align with internal DV/PV requirements and program timelines.

• Collect and analyze supplier-generated performance and life test results; compare against internal requirements, internally generated data, and prior supplier lots to identify gaps, trends, or discrepancies.

• Coordinate with supplier engineering contacts to clarify test methods, request missing data, and follow up on open issues or anomalies identified in supplier test results.

• Support review of supplier quality documentation (e.g., DFMEA/PFMEA, control plans, PPAP) as it relates to cell performance and life test data.

• Summarize supplier test outcomes for cell design, quality, and program teams, and flag risks that may affect supplier qualification or sourcing decisions.

• Failure Diagnostics & Teardown Analysis

• Diagnose cell-level failures and anomalies identified during DV/PV testing, field returns, or production builds, applying structured root-cause analysis methods (e.g., 8D, fishbone/Ishikawa, 5-Why).

• Plan and perform teardown analysis of failed or suspect cells, including mechanical disassembly, visual and optical inspection, electrical characterization, and coordination with materials science/failure-analysis labs (e.g., SEM, XRD, CT scan) as needed.

• Document teardown findings, failure modes, and probable root causes in clear, traceable reports; recommend and track corrective and preventive actions.

• Build and maintain a failure-mode knowledge base to support faster diagnosis of recurring or similar issues across programs.

• Data Analysis, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Collect, reduce, and analyze test data from both internal and supplier, and teardown/diagnostic sources; identify anomalies, degradation trends, and out-of-spec conditions; document findings in clear, traceable test reports.

• Maintain test traceability to requirements, test method documentation, and calibration records.

• Communicate test status, results, diagnostic findings and risks to cell design, pack integration, BMS, and quality engineering teams; support design reviews, supplier readiness reviews, PV readiness and program gate reviews.

• Recommend improvements to test methods and data analysis processes to improve efficiency, repeatability, and data quality across both internal and supplier test streams.

• Future BESS Chemistry Development

• Support evaluation, screening, and characterization of next-generation and alternative cell chemistries (e.g., LFP, sodium-ion, and other emerging chemistries) for future BESS product programs.

• Develop and execute test plans and diagnostic protocols tailored to new chemistries, capturing performance, life, and failure-mode data to inform chemistry down-select and readiness decisions.

• Collaborate with cell design and R&D teams to translate teardown and diagnostic learnings into chemistry and cell design improvement recommendations.

• Stay current on emerging cell chemistry trends and failure mechanisms relevant to stationary storage applications, sharing insights with the broader engineering team.

What you'll do...

• Core Responsibilities

• Cell Performance & Life Testing (Internal)

• Execute DV and PV test plans (DVP&R/PVP&R) on internally sourced battery cells, with primary emphasis on performance and life characterization: capacity, impedance/DCIR, rate and power performance, cycle life, calendar life, and coulombic efficiency testing.

• Set up and operate cell test equipment, including battery cyclers, environmental and thermal chambers, and data acquisition systems, to generate performance and life data.

• Support supplementary environmental testing (e.g., thermal cycling, vibration, shock) as needed to complete DV/PV requirements, in coordination with test labs or other engineering teams.

• Supplier Test Tracking & Analysis

• Track the status and schedule of cell test programs being executed by external suppliers, ensuring test plans align with internal DV/PV requirements and program timelines.

• Collect and analyze supplier-generated performance and life test results; compare against internal requirements, internally generated data, and prior supplier lots to identify gaps, trends, or discrepancies.

• Coordinate with supplier engineering contacts to clarify test methods, request missing data, and follow up on open issues or anomalies identified in supplier test results.

• Support review of supplier quality documentation (e.g., DFMEA/PFMEA, control plans, PPAP) as it relates to cell performance and life test data.

• Summarize supplier test outcomes for cell design, quality, and program teams, and flag risks that may affect supplier qualification or sourcing decisions.

• Failure Diagnostics & Teardown Analysis

• Diagnose cell-level failures and anomalies identified during DV/PV testing, field returns, or production builds, applying structured root-cause analysis methods (e.g., 8D, fishbone/Ishikawa, 5-Why).

• Plan and perform teardown analysis of failed or suspect cells, including mechanical disassembly, visual and optical inspection, electrical characterization, and coordination with materials science/failure-analysis labs (e.g., SEM, XRD, CT scan) as needed.

• Document teardown findings, failure modes, and probable root causes in clear, traceable reports; recommend and track corrective and preventive actions.

• Build and maintain a failure-mode knowledge base to support faster diagnosis of recurring or similar issues across programs.

• Data Analysis, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Collect, reduce, and analyze test data from both internal and supplier, and teardown/diagnostic sources; identify anomalies, degradation trends, and out-of-spec conditions; document findings in clear, traceable test reports.

• Maintain test traceability to requirements, test method documentation, and calibration records.

• Communicate test status, results, diagnostic findings and risks to cell design, pack integration, BMS, and quality engineering teams; support design reviews, supplier readiness reviews, PV readiness and program gate reviews.

• Recommend improvements to test methods and data analysis processes to improve efficiency, repeatability, and data quality across both internal and supplier test streams.

• Future BESS Chemistry Development

• Support evaluation, screening, and characterization of next-generation and alternative cell chemistries (e.g., LFP, sodium-ion, and other emerging chemistries) for future BESS product programs.

• Develop and execute test plans and diagnostic protocols tailored to new chemistries, capturing performance, life, and failure-mode data to inform chemistry down-select and readiness decisions.

• Collaborate with cell design and R&D teams to translate teardown and diagnostic learnings into chemistry and cell design improvement recommendations.

• Stay current on emerging cell chemistry trends and failure mechanisms relevant to stationary storage applications, sharing insights with the broader engineering team.