Test and Validation Manager - Battery Cell

Agratas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons. We will design, develop and manufacture high-quality, high-performance, sustainable batteries for the mobility and energy sectors. We are a scale-up business with a start-up mentality and the backing of a well-established parent company. We have a state of the art R&D facility in Oxfordshire and Product Development in Coventry and are currently looking to complement our highly skilled team with the brightest minds from within the battery sector.

The Cell Product Ownership & Validation team drive product delivery by transforming requirements into a validated design representative product, ensuring cell and engineering specifications are created and clearly communicated to the business. The Cell Test & Validation Manager will ensure that our products meet the highest standards of performance, safety, and reliability. This role is pivotal in shaping the future of our products by developing and implementing standardised testing methods that align with the final design and functionality.

You will oversee the testing of samples at various maturity stages to ensure they accurately represent the final product, enabling thorough validation through concept, design, and process phases. This approach allows for a comprehensive assessment of the product's end use, ensuring it meets both customer expectations and operational requirements. Test protocols will be meticulously designed based on robust Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) processes and customer needs.

Staying ahead of ever-evolving legislative and regulatory requirements is another critical aspect of this role. You will be responsible for embedding compliance into all testing activities, ensuring that our products not only meet but exceed industry standards. Clear and continuous communication with the broader business is essential. You'll deliver detailed reports on testing progress and outcomes, proactively identifying risks and working collaboratively across functions to address and resolve them. This requires seamless coordination with engineering, quality, and manufacturing teams to ensure a fully integrated approach to product validation.

To excel in this role, you'll need a meticulous attention to detail and strong organisational skills, ensuring robust planning and execution throughout the testing lifecycle. Your contributions will directly influence our ability to deliver safe, high-performing, and reliable solutions to our customers.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• Build and mentor a team of Engineers & Technicians specialising in cell testing and validation
• Define and plan requirements for concept, design, and process validation phases
• Develop robust test procedures and standards for performance, durability, and abuse testing
• Ensure compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements
• Design and implement an automated data elaboration platform to streamline analysis
• Deliver CV, DV & PV test programs on time and within budget for all products
• Lead root cause investigations of failures using Six Sigma methodologies and 8D problem-solving techniques.
• Collaborate with the facilities team to scope and define testing requirements.
• Engage cross-functionally with teams involved in FMEA, cell development, and system integration to ensure seamless project execution.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Essential

• In-depth knowledge of Lithium-ion cells and their use in automotive applications
• Experience of scoping and managing cell testing facilities for large format cells
• Managing a team delivering projects to time & cost
• Development of testing methodology and protocols for concept, design and process validation of lithium-ion cells
• Ability to review, critically assess data and report out

Desired

• Experience in test & validation of Lithium-ion cells for automotive applications (> 100 Ah)
• In-depth knowledge of Lithium-ion cell design
• Experience of DFMEA creation and methodologies to test cell failure modes

Role Specific Qualifications/Certifications

• PhD? Degree Level or higher in science or engineering subject
• Leadership skills
• Ability to build and lead a team of test engineers & technicians

Agratas is a place to be authentically you. At Agratas we strongly believe that people are at their best when they feel supported and happy in their workplace. To that end we continue to cultivate a diverse workforce which protects the individuality of each team member. We therefore warmly welcome applicants from any race, gender, sexuality, and ability. Should you have a preference in how your suitability is assessed for this role or require any reasonable adjustments please let the Talent Acquisition team know.