Battery Pack Engineering Lead

Job description

HADRIAN - MANUFACTURING THE FUTURE Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost. Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory-as-a-Service platform to transform how critical products are built. Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we’re building the future of American manufacturing—and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen. If you’re ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you’re exactly who we’re looking for. The Role Hadrian is looking to expand our battery pack assembly team, specifically a Battery Pack Engineering Lead. This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You'll take the line from a concept to a working, repeatable, and safe production line, leading things such as pack and module architecture, the assembly process, cell joining, thermal management, test, and safety. This role will anchor a small team of specialists and engineers, as well as interfacing cross-functionally with the rest of the company. You'll set technical direction, make the hard calls, and lead a few engineers alongside you. What You'll Do - Own the pilot battery pack assembly line end-to-end, from pack and module architecture through assembly process design, build, test, and production readiness - Define the assembly process: cell intake and sorting/matching, module and pack build sequence, cell joining (laser / ultrasonic / resistance welding), busbar and interconnect assembly, thermal management, enclosure, and potting/sealing - Develop the fixturing, stations, tooling, and work instructions for the pilot line, designed for eventual automation and rate production on Hadrian's robotics and software platform. - Own battery safety including thermal runaway mitigation, abuse tolerance, and compliance with applicable standards and testing (e.g., UN 38.3 transport) - Establish electrical test, formation, and characterization processes; define pack-level acceptance criteria and validation - Build cell-level traceability and lot control, partnering with Quality and Qualification on inspection plans and qualification of the packs - Lead and grow a small, deep-expertise team, setting technical direction and owning final calls - Partner across design (mechanical/electrical/thermal), manufacturing engineering, automation/controls, supply chain (cell sourcing), quality/qualification, and program teams - Drive the line from concept to production readiness against yield, throughput, cost, and rate targets What We're Looking For - Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, or Materials Engineering, or a related technical field - 7+ years in battery pack / energy-storage engineering, including hands-on pack or module assembly and manufacturing - Deep knowledge of cell-to-pack / cell-to-module design and assembly, cell joining (welding) processes, and thermal management - Experience standing up or significantly improving a battery assembly line or pilot line - Strong grasp of battery safety and applicable standards/testing (UN 38.3, UL/IEC, abuse testing) - Demonstrated technical leadership, able to lead a small team and operate autonomously in an ambiguous, build-it-now environment - Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident) per ITAR; ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance What Will Set You Apart - Battery pack experience in aerospace, defense, UAS, eVTOL, EV, or other demanding/safety-critical applications - Experience automating battery assembly or designing battery lines for high-rate production - Hands-on cell-joining process development (laser / ultrasonic / resistance welding) for tabs and busbars - Electronics and test-and-validation depth - Familiarity with defense qualification or airworthiness requirements for energy storage - Experience in high-growth or startup manufacturing environments BENEFITS FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES - Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees - 401k - Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need. - Flexible vacation policy - Equity ITAR REQUIREMENTS To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987. USE OF AI IN HIRING Hadrian uses AI-assisted tools in our recruiting and hiring processes to help our team work more efficiently. This may include tools that help organize and analyze recruiting data, as well as an AI-powered notetaker that can record and transcribe interviews and help coordinate feedback. These tools support our team and are not used to make hiring decisions. All candidate evaluations and hiring decisions are performed by humans. If an interview will be recorded, you will be notified in advance and may opt out at any time with no impact on your candidacy. Candidate data processed through these tools is subject to the same protections described in our Privacy Policy https://www.hadrian.co/privacy-policy. HADRIAN IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER It is the Company’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. The Company does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race inclusive of traits historically associated with race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks and twists), color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, national origin (including, in California, possession of a drivers license), ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, height or weight, medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, exercise of reproductive rights, any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws, or any combination of the above characteristics. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.