Principal Cell Development Engineer

Job Title: Principal Cell Development Engineer

Report To: Director of Cell Development

Location: Onsite

About QS: QuantumScape is on a mission to revolutionize energy storage to enable a sustainable future. The company’s next-generation solid-state lithium-metal battery technology is designed to enable greater energy density, faster charging and enhanced safety to support the transition away from legacy energy sources toward a lower carbon future.

What we need: We’re looking for a Principal Cell Development Engineer to scope and lead end‑to‑end development efforts that directly cell performance and reliability. You’ll lead projects to devise innovative cell designs, specify and optimize assembly processes, and integrate new materials/components into our anode‑less solid‑state batteries. You’ll partner across automation, metrology, FA and manufacturing, owning projects and driving them to completion.

What You’ll do:

• Lead integration and validation of new components and materials on next‑generation cell platforms.
• Design rigorous DOEs; apply statistical and analytical methods to evaluate approaches and compare effectiveness.
• Model reliability performance (e.g., Weibull, Kaplan–Meier) and connect mechanisms to actionable design/process changes.
• Define critical‑to‑quality (CTQ) metrics, acceptance criteria, and validation plans.
• Build lightweight dashboards/analysis workflows so teams can see the signal quickly.
• Present crisp technical updates to stakeholders and leadership; mentor junior engineers informally.

Skills You’ll Need:

• PhD in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field & 6 years of post-degree experience; OR Master’s degree with 8 years of relevant experience; OR Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of relevant experience.
• Repeated track record of leading complex, cross‑functional programs from concept to production impact.
• Deep expertise in electrochemical systems and reliability of lithium‑based cells; strong intuition for mechanisms.
• Advanced statistics and Python‑based analysis; comfort with survival analysis, tolerance intervals, and DoE at scale.
• Exceptional technical communication

Nice to have:

• Experience shipping cell technologies into pilot or production and improving yield/reliability at scale.
• Experience with mentoring and technical leadership.
• Strong background with automated assembly, in‑line inspection, and metrology data pipelines.
• IP contributions (patents/publications) in batteries, reliability, or manufacturing science.

The Opportunity:

Shape the technical direction of next-gen cells, multiply team impact through mentorship and standards, and deliver performance improvements that show up in every build.

ONSITE:

This position is required to work onsite 5 days per week to meet the minimum essential duties and requirements of this position. As an on-site R&D and manufacturing operations organization, in-person face to face interaction is essential to building authentic relationships, trust, teamwork, and collaboration.

Compensation & Benefits:

Expected salary range for this role is from $160,700 to $217,000, and a final salary will be determined by the candidate's experience and educational background. QuantumScape also offers an annual bonus and a generous RSU/Equity package as part of its compensation plan. In addition, we do offer a tremendous benefits plan including employee paid health care, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and other benefits.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request a accommodation.