Battery Design Engineer – Thermal Runaway

Our Mission

At Vertical Aerospace, we are pioneering the way for electric aviation. The VX4, our eVTOL (electric, vertical, take-off and landing), \’zero emissions\’ aircraft will set a new safety standard for how we will navigate the sky.

We won\’t realise our mission following the same legacy processes and traditions our predecessors followed, instead, we want to \’redefine\’ aerospace best practices.

We are growing quickly from a prototype business to a scaling SME, and the next few years will be critical to our success and delivering on our ambitious goals of having the VX4 in service by 2030.

What to Expect

As a Battery Design Engineer – Thermal Runaway, you will join the ESS (Energy Storage System) Team based in Bristol. Your team is responsible for delivering the Battery Packs for the fully electric propulsion system of our aircraft.

A typical day could range from: Designing and releasing components and engineering drawings in 3dx/CATIA; supporting build and test of thermal runaway rigs; analysing thermal runaway test data and working with simulation teams to validate; conducting DFMA with our Manufacturing Engineering team; working with systems engineers to decompose and validate regulatory and company requirements; producing technical requirements and engineering statement of work for supplied components; derisking your items and systems through DFMEA and verification planning; creating and delivering plans against prototype and development milestones, e.g. CDR

Your ability to take ownership of complex design and engineering interfaces from definition into verification will be critical, along with crystal clear communication to allow rapid progress.

What You\’ll Do

• Support the design development of the thermal runaway related commodities within the VX4 ESS, including generating novel but certifiable solutions to thermal runaway challenges

• Conduct the design risk analysis and verification program development to determine the type and amount of full and sub-scale thermal runaway testing

• Produce technical specifications for our Manufacturing team to build to, as we move through prototype phases into conforming ESS for certification credits.

• Work close with supply chain and quality to ensure components are delivered to schedule and meeting their key characteristics.

• Interface with certification, simulation and test teams to ensure the thermal runaway requirements are met on schedule

What You\’ll Bring

• A degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience delivering designs for energy storage systems, including dedicated time meeting thermal runaway requirements.

• Experience of thermal runaway testing and working with simulation teams to validate concepts and tests.

• Experience in Product Lifecycle Management, CAD modelling and engineering drawings, ideally with 3dx and CATIA V6

• Ability to plan out your work packages.

• An ability to present your progress clearly and propose next steps.

• Experience working with engineering requirements

• Strong ability to interface with the following engineering disciplines: Build and Test Engineers, Mechanical and Thermal Simulation Engineers, Electrical Design Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, Integration Engineers, Systems Engineers

Desirable

• Experience in Aerospace Qualification and Certification.

• Knowledge of general Battery Thermal Management principles

• Knowledge in GD&T, tolerance stacking and management of Key/Critical Characteristics. Experience conducting DFMA processes.

• Knowledge of Manufacturing and Assembly methods suitable for Battery Packs.

• Mechanical or Thermal simulation capability

• Experience managing non-conformance.

• Familiarity with DFMEA management tools such as APIS-IQ

• Familiarity with Requirements Management tools such as DOORS, JAMA, etc.

What can you expect from us?

We\’re on a mission. Where others see limits, we see opportunity, and we work at pace. Working at Vertical isn\’t your average role but for those seeking a challenge, a flexible, supportive organisation and an incredible team; working here is an opportunity to do the best work of your career.

Our approach promotes ingenuity and courage, while our environment builds success through diligence in safety and being open in the way we work. The only way we\’re going to assure the next chapter of aviation history is by working as a team, relentlessly, towards our goal.

Our benefits

Our people matter – we\’re not going anywhere without them. Which is why our company benefits go beyond the essentials.

• 26 days holiday, plus bank holiday

• 5 extra days per year to buy (or sell)

• 5 extra days holiday when you get married or enter a civil partnership

• Additional 4% of your salary to spend on extra benefits

• Award-winning digital health and wellbeing service (Help@Hand)

• Company performance based bonus – rewarding company and individual performance

• Company Share Scheme – open to every Vertical employee

• Company Pension Scheme – 5% and we match it

• Breakfast on us, every day

We may just be the hardest job you\’ve ever had, but we\’re confident it will be the most rewarding. Join the team today and help us shape the future of Advanced Air Mobility.

Disclaimer Statement

We encourage you to apply even if you may not have all the experience listed in the advert. We recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to providing opportunities that create an environment of growth, diversity, and inclusion for everyone. As part of our desire to review and make our processes fair, we may ask you questions related to these aspects during the application process. For more information on how we will use your data, see our Legal section.

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