Senior Mechanical Engineer, Plastics Design

Company Description SARACA is a global engineering R&D services company supporting 25 Fortune 500 customers across MedTech, Aerospace, Rail, Automotive, Semiconductor, Defense, and Farm industries. The organization is ISO 13485 certified and has extensive experience in designing and developing next-generation medical devices, including embedded software, UI/UX, mechanical systems, and product testing. SARACA has unique expertise in IEC 62304, EU MDR, clinical and performance evaluation reports, and scientific writing for MedTech. With a team of 400 engineers and management consultants located worldwide, SARACA solves complex business problems through onsite and offsite engagements. As an equal-opportunity employer, SARACA promotes a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and customer-focused growth.

Role : Senior Mechanical Engineer, Plastics Design

Location: Berkeley, California, United States

Industry: Battery Technology | Clean Energy | Energy Storage

Experience: 4 Years

Employment Type: Full-Time

We are seeking an experienced Senior Mechanical Engineer to join the Cell Engineering Design team within the Technology group at Form Energy in Berkeley, California.

The Cell Engineering team is responsible for developing and qualifying battery cell designs that meet performance, cost, reliability, and manufacturability requirements for high-volume production of utility-scale, multi-day energy storage systems.

In this role, you will focus on designing and developing molded plastic components for iron-air battery cells, with particular emphasis on injection molding and manufacturing-oriented product design. You will own component design, engineering analysis, prototyping, test plan development, and validation testing while collaborating closely with manufacturing engineering and cross-functional teams.

This is an opportunity to contribute to the development and scaling of innovative long-duration energy storage technology while building expertise in advanced plastic component design, manufacturing processes, and mechanical validation.

1. Mechanical Design & Product Development

• Design and develop molded plastic components for iron-air battery cells, with a strong focus on injection-molded plastic parts.
• Apply first-principles engineering principles to design high-performance structural plastic and sheet metal components.
• Ensure components meet mechanical performance, reliability, cost, and manufacturability requirements.
• Drive component development from initial concept through detailed design, prototyping, testing, validation, and production implementation.
• Evaluate component designs against static and dynamic mechanical loading conditions.

2. Plastic Component Design & Manufacturing

• Develop expertise in plastic component design for injection molding, blow molding, thermoforming, and related manufacturing processes.
• Apply Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles to optimize component geometry, manufacturability, and production readiness.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering teams to define and support battery cell assembly processes and equipment design.
• Evaluate component interfaces, assembly requirements, and manufacturing constraints to ensure reliable integration.
• Support the development and implementation of plastic joining techniques, including laser welding and hot-plate welding.

3. Engineering Analysis, Prototyping & Failure Analysis

• Lead engineering analysis and prototyping activities to evaluate component performance and identify design improvements.
• Fabricate first-of-a-kind plastic prototypes for mechanical fit checks and verification testing.
• Investigate component failures, identify root causes, and implement corrective design improvements.
• Use engineering calculations, test data, and analytical methods to guide design decisions.
• Evaluate test results and translate findings into actionable design recommendations.

4. Testing & Validation

• Develop comprehensive test plans to verify component performance against defined engineering requirements.
• Lead hands-on validation testing to demonstrate that designs meet critical functional and mechanical requirements.
• Analyze mechanical test results and document findings, performance trends, and potential failure mechanisms.
• Verify component reliability and suitability for implementation in battery cell designs.
• Support iterative design improvements based on prototype evaluations and validation outcomes.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Technical Documentation

• Coordinate with Battery Module and Electrode engineering teams to define and negotiate component interface requirements.
• Work closely with manufacturing engineering to support assembly processes, equipment development, and production implementation.
• Create, review, and release detailed 2D part drawings and assembly drawings.
• Define dimensional tolerances, functional requirements, performance criteria, and manufacturing specifications.
• Maintain clear engineering documentation throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• 4 years of relevant industry experience in mechanical engineering, mechanical design, product development, or a related field.
• Experience with end-to-end product development, from concept development through product launch.
• Proficiency in CAD software and engineering analysis to support mechanical design decisions.
• Strong understanding of mechanical design principles and structural component behavior under static and dynamic loads.
• Experience with prototyping, mechanical testing, design verification, or product validation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, particularly in evaluating mechanical test data and improving component performance.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary engineering and manufacturing teams.
• Experience preparing or releasing detailed engineering drawings and technical specifications.

• Hands-on experience designing injection-molded plastic components.
• Knowledge of plastic component design, tooling considerations, and manufacturing constraints.
• Experience with Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA).
• Familiarity with blow molding, thermoforming, or other plastic manufacturing processes.
• Experience with plastic joining techniques, such as laser welding or hot-plate welding.
• Experience conducting failure analysis, root-cause investigations, and corrective design activities.
• Experience developing test plans and executing component validation programs.
• Familiarity with tolerance analysis, dimensional inspection, and manufacturing quality requirements.
• Experience collaborating with manufacturing engineers to scale products for high-volume production.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on mechanical engineer with strong product development fundamentals and experience designing components for manufacturability.

Candidates with backgrounds in plastic component design, injection molding, mechanical product development, industrial equipment, consumer products, automotive components, or manufacturing engineering may be relevant, provided they meet the core mechanical design and product development requirements.

Candidates should be comfortable working across design, analysis, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing while taking ownership of component performance and continuous improvement.