Battery Cell Manufacturing Engineer – Process & Trials

Location: Liberty, North Carolina – 1512405
Work Arrangement: On-site
Schedule: Full-time, approximately 40 hours per week
Overtime: Up to 20–25%
Travel: Up to 10–15%, including potential international travel to Japan
Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering or a related technical field

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Battery Cell Manufacturing Engineer to support Production Engineering – Battery Manufacturing Engineering (PE-BME) Battery Cell Department in Liberty, North Carolina.

This position will focus on battery cell manufacturing, pre-production trials, process improvement, and technical problem solving. The engineer will lead planning and problem-solving activities associated with battery cell production while working closely with equipment, manufacturing, quality, R&D, and production engineering teams.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with battery cell manufacturing processes, particularly winding, cell assembly, electrolyte filling, production trials, and process/equipment validation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional teams supporting battery manufacturing equipment, processes, and production trials.

• Plan, coordinate, and execute pre-production and manufacturing trial activities.

• Investigate and resolve material, product, equipment, and manufacturing process issues.

• Perform root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

• Develop detailed trial plans for process confirmation and problem-solving activities.

• Utilize Toyota Business Practice (TBP), Lean manufacturing, or similar structured problem-solving methodologies.

• Evaluate battery cell performance using analytical tools, manufacturing data, and quality methods.

• Track trial results, KPIs, technical issues, and corrective actions.

• Develop detailed technical reports and executive-level summaries.

• Support process and equipment specifications, improvements, and kaizen activities.

• Coordinate new material introductions, validation activities, and manufacturing change points.

• Collaborate with Production Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, R&D, equipment suppliers, and other internal and external partners.

• Support standardization and continuous improvement of manufacturing systems and procedures.

• Mentor team members in battery technology, trial planning, execution, data analysis, and manufacturing principles.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering or a related technical field.

• Minimum 3 years of engineering experience in a manufacturing environment.

• Experience supporting manufacturing production preparation, including:

  • Project planning and schedule management

  • Process and equipment planning

  • Equipment specifications and procurement

  • Installation and commissioning

  • Manufacturing trials and validation

• Experience with battery cell products, manufacturing processes, equipment, or trial activities.

• Strong manufacturing problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.

• Experience interpreting and applying product/process specifications, engineering drawings, and manufacturing data.

• Experience working across multiple functions within a large manufacturing organization.

• Ability to communicate technical results and project status to leadership.

Highly Preferred Experience

• 2+ years of experience with winding, cell assembly, and electrolyte filling for automotive battery cells; 5+ years preferred.

• Lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing experience.

• Battery chemistry and material knowledge.

• Experience conducting trials to validate new materials, processes, or equipment.

• Toyota Production System (TPS) experience.

• Toyota Business Practice (TBP) or equivalent structured problem-solving experience.

• Ryohin Joken / Conditions for Good Process and Product experience.

• New-model manufacturing or simultaneous engineering experience.

• Manufacturing plant production operations experience.

• Data analytics tools and methods.

• Digital engineering software and the ability to read, interpret, or modify model data.

• Japanese language proficiency is a plus.

Ideal Candidate

The strongest candidate will be a hands-on battery manufacturing engineer who understands both the product and the production process. Experience with automotive lithium-ion battery cells, winding, cell assembly, electrolyte fill, equipment/process trials, material validation, and manufacturing problem solving will be especially valuable.

Candidates from battery manufacturing, automotive, chemical/material engineering, semiconductor manufacturing, or other advanced high-volume manufacturing environments may also be considered when their experience aligns closely with battery processes and production trials.

Additional Requirements

This position may require overtime, weekend or plant-shutdown support, and domestic/international travel based on project needs. International travel may include Japan for equipment testing and related engineering activities.