CAE Engineer

Location: San Jose, CA Employment Type: Full-Time About the company: A stealth-mode battery startup developing cutting-edge battery technology. Our mission is to revolutionize battery technology to accelerate the global transition to clean energy. By leveraging innovative materials, advanced manufacturing techniques, and next-generation energy storage architectures, we are building the future of sustainable energy. About the Role: We are seeking a CAE Mechanical Engineer to lead and execute high-fidelity structural simulations for lithium-ion battery systems across the cell, module, and pack levels. This role is integral to bridging design concepts into manufacturable, reliable hardware by modeling how complex electro-mechanical systems behave under real-world conditions. You will work closely with mechanical design, test, and manufacturing teams to inform design architecture through simulation-driven insights and best practices. Key CAE Responsibilities: Simulation & Analysis • Perform mechanical FEA under diverse loading conditions including crush, vibration, drop, thermal expansion, swelling, crash and underbody impact. • Build and refine detailed simulation models using CAD and empirical inputs, with rigorous attention to mesh quality, materials, contacts, and boundary conditions. • Conduct simulations using Abaqus, ANSYS, LS-DYNA, or similar tools; analyze results to assess deformation, failure risk, and design sensitivity. • Correlate simulation outputs with physical test data (e.g., strain gauges, displacements, fracture behavior) to validate and improve model fidelity. • Rapidly iterate on design alternatives and provide clear, actionable simulation feedback to design teams. Lead CAE Domains Own analysis workflows for: • First Mode and Modal Analysis • Shock and Vibration Evaluation • Underbody Impact Scenarios • Side Pole Impact CAE Development & Infrastructure • Contribute to the selection and integration of solver tools, pre/post-processors, and overall CAE infrastructure. • Define, document, and continuously improve best practices and workflows to ensure robust, repeatable analysis pipelines. • Develop and validate material models for CAE use—ideally by designing and executing custom test programs to generate material cards. Fatigue & Advanced Simulations (Bonus) • Support the development of fatigue analysis methodologies, particularly for polymers or adhesive joints. • Lay the foundation for in-house battery crash and impact simulation capabilities: • Model mechanical behavior of cells during impact. • Collaborate with OEMs on vehicle-level integration and crash safety strategy. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Product Design Component Design • Partner with Product Development on mechanical hardware, especially: • Underbody protective elements • Structural enclosures • Pack framing and load-bearing components Compression System Innovation • Contribute to the design and optimization of next-generation battery compression systems, including advanced “quilted” or pre-formed plate concepts. Qualifications & Experience • B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mechanics, or related discipline. • 5+ years of experience in mechanical FEA, ideally within battery systems or similar dense electro-mechanical assemblies. • Proven proficiency in FEA tools such as Abaqus, ANSYS, or LS-DYNA; deep understanding of crash, vibration, and non-linear analyses preferred. • Strong skills in model setup (meshing, contact definition, material property assignment, boundary condition management). • Demonstrated ability to correlate simulation to test data and validate model accuracy. • Excellent communicator—capable of presenting simulation results, limitations, and trade-offs to multidisciplinary teams. • Comfortable working in fast-paced, iterative environments with evolving product requirements.