Mechanical Design Engineer in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Mechanical Design Engineer - Battery Pack Design

Battery pack design | Cambridge (on-site) | £55,000 – £65,000 + equity | Permanent, full-time

The company

A University of Cambridge spin-out developing next-generation, ultra-high energy batteries.

The technology is built on more than 15 years of materials research.

The company was founded in 2024 and is backed by leading UK venture capital investors.

The role

This role needs previous battery pack design experience.

You’ll lead the mechanical design of battery packs, from early concept and prototype through to volume production.

You’ll report to the Head of Pack Development and work closely with the electronics and manufacturing teams.

The packs are for demanding applications, so the focus is on lightweight, robust and thermally stable designs.

What you’ll do

• Lead the mechanical design of battery pack enclosures and internal structures, from concept to production-ready design
• Generate design concepts and test the most promising ones with rough prototypes before committing to detailed design
• Carry out structural analysis and hand calculations: stress, strain, fatigue, vibration and impact
• Build thermal and multiphysics simulations and validate them against physical testing
• Design experiments that show where and why a design falls short, and use the results to drive the next iteration
• Build, assemble and iterate prototypes hands-on in the lab
• Apply DfM/DfA principles and work with suppliers to scale designs into production
• Produce engineering drawings and maintain clear documentation of designs, analysis and test results
• Manage mechanical, electrical and thermal interfaces with the electronics and manufacturing teams
• Contribute to design reviews, DFMEA, and safety and certification activities

What you’ll need

• Previous battery pack or battery module mechanical design experience (EV, aerospace, UAV, energy storage or similar)
• A degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• Experience of FEA or multiphysics modelling (e.g. COMSOL) of enclosures or structures
• Experience with stress/strain analysis of assemblies, tolerance stack-up analysis and material selection
• Experience designing and running tests against a specification and diagnosing root causes of failure
• Strong 3D CAD skills (e.g. SolidWorks or Fusion 360)
• A track record of optimising designs for weight, volume and cost
• Experience in a multi-disciplinary engineering team
• A disciplined approach to documenting your work

Useful but not essential

• Battery pack thermal management design
• Knowledge of battery safety and thermal runaway mitigation
• DfM across CNC machining, injection moulding, sheet metal, casting or additive manufacturing
• Taking a product from prototype to volume production, including supplier engagement and costing
• Vibration, shock and drop testing
• Designing to recognised standards
• Hands-on prototyping (3D printing, workshop tools)
• Start-up or fast-paced environment experience

Benefits

• Company equity
• Private medical insurance
• Competitive pension