Lead Test and Development Engineer in Carlsbad, California at Proper Voltage

Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

About Proper Voltage

Proper Voltage is unlocking the next generation of battery technology across robotics, data centers, and defense.

We're building intelligent battery systems that make advanced chemistries (sodium-ion, lithium-titanate, lithium-silicon) work in products that were never designed for them. Humanoid robots can upgrade power systems without redesigning their entire platform. Data centers get safer, cheaper backup power. Drones and autonomous vehicles get higher energy density without lengthy integration cycles.

If you want to work on hard engineering problems that matter this is the place.

Job Overview

You will lead testing and validation for Critical Power, Proper Voltage's battery backup platform for critical infrastructure: uninterruptible power for data centers, hospitals, and telecom sites where an outage is not an option. You will own how we characterize, validate, and qualify the system from cell to rack, and set the bar for when a design is ready to ship. You'll keep validation traceable to the decisions that depend on it, and hold the platform to the safety and reliability bar these applications demand. The role demands deep technical expertise and the leadership to set objectives, drive cross-functional work to completion, and make the validation call under compressed timelines and incomplete data. This is a technical leadership role, not a people management one: your judgment and experience are what ensure the right design, analysis, and test steps get done to de-risk the product. You've run lean, multidisciplinary programs end to end and know what it takes to finish one.

What you'll do

• Own testing and validation for Critical Power from cell to rack, and the test program's performance against product and program requirements
• Set test strategy at the system level and drive issues to resolution, from characterization through bring-up
• Define and run cell-, module-, pack-, and rack-level test programs: capacity, rate capability, aging, DCIR, abuse, thermal, and EMC
• Own the safety and reliability program - thermal runaway, propagation, and abuse behavior validated to the levels stationary backup installations require
• Own schedule and execution across the full lifecycle - from R&D and development builds through the production ramp, and across product refreshes for new chemistries, cost reductions, and form factors
• Serve as the escalation point for test-methodology and validation sign-off decisions, partnering with engineering leadership to resolve and deconflict issues
• Design and build test hardware where nothing off-the-shelf fits: fixtures, enclosures, busbars, cooling setups, and one-offs up to rack scale
• Turn test data into clear conclusions and recommendations that shape design, architecture, and generational platform decisions
• Partner with design, systems, and production - and with third-party test houses and certification bodies - to align test scope and results to the product schedule
• Maintain lab standards, calibration, and safety practice for energized cells and rack-level systems, and mentor test engineers and technicians toward greater technical ownership

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, a relevant field, or equivalent experience
• Extensive hands-on experience in battery testing across cells, modules, or packs
• Experience as the technical lead for a testing or validation effort: setting strategy, defining standards, and making the calls others build on
• Experience owning test plans from concept through final report
• Experience taking products from prototype design and testing into production
• Demonstrated fabrication ability across lab and machine shop; be ready to walk us through something you have built
• Proficiency with Python, MATLAB, or comparable tools for data analysis
• Ability to stay organized and triage issues and blockers across a broad test program in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with stationary energy storage, UPS, or backup power systems
• Deep experience in cell and battery system characterization
• CAD knowledge (Creo, SolidWorks, or Fusion 360)
• Familiarity with UL 9540, UL 9540A, UL 1973, IEC 62133, UN 38.3, or comparable standards
• Experience in an early-stage or R&D environment
• Experience with product roadmaps and generational product development

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $130,000 – $170,000 annually (commensurate with experience)
• Equity participation as part of total compensation
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits (medical, dental, vision)
• Paid time off and company holidays

Ready to work on power systems that matter? Let's talk.