Job Description & Details
This is a heavy-hitting 6-month contract for a seasoned engineer who can actually lead an EV battery pack program from a blank sheet to industrialization. You will be calling the shots on architecture, thermal strategy, and safety compliance without getting bogged down in endless bureaucracy. If you know your way around lithium-ion chemistries and high-voltage systems, this gig lets you make an immediate, tangible impact on real hardware.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
Your day-to-day will be a mix of high-level architectural decision-making and deep technical firefighting. You will lead trade-off studies balancing cell format, thermal performance, and crash safety, while also directly reviewing CAD models, DFMEAs, and DVP&R plans. Expect to spend a lot of time bridging the gap between mechanical, electrical, and thermal teams, and managing technical deliverables with tier-1 suppliers to ensure tooling and assembly sequences are locked in for SOP.
The Core Tech Stack
CATIA V6 and PLM systems are your bread and butter here for layout and packaging. You need deep, foundational knowledge of lithium-ion cell behavior, thermal management architectures (like liquid cooling plates), and structural enclosure design. Familiarity with HV safety protocols and industry standards like ISO 26262, UL2580, and UN38.3 isn't optional—you'll be expected to navigate regulatory compliance and CAE simulation results (structural and CFD) from day one without hand-holding.
Interview Expectations
Be ready for the hiring manager to grill you on a past design failure regarding thermal runaway containment or structural crashworthiness, and explain how you mitigated it. They are looking to see if you can balance cost and weight targets against strict safety mandates under tight automotive timelines. You will also likely be tested on your hands-on experience correlating CAE simulation results with physical DV/PV test data.
Application Advice
Skip the generic project lists and put your specific battery pack architectures front and center on your resume. Make sure keywords like UL2580, DFMEA, DVP&R, CATIA V6, and thermal management are explicitly stated to clear the initial ATS filters. Highlight your direct experience taking packs through prototype builds, supplier management, and validation testing phases.