Manufacturing Project Engineer

Job Type: Location Type: On-site

 

Battery Cell Manufacturing Engineer – Process & Trials

Location: Liberty, North Carolina – 1512405
Work Arrangement: On-site
Schedule: Full-time, approximately 40 hours per week
Overtime: Up to 20-25%
Travel: Up to 10-15%, including potential international travel to Japan
Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering or a related technical field

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Battery Cell Manufacturing Engineer to support Production Engineering – Battery Manufacturing Engineering (PE-BME) Battery Cell Department in Liberty, North Carolina.

This position will focus on battery cell manufacturing, pre-production trials, process improvement, and technical problem solving. The engineer will lead planning and problem-solving activities associated with battery cell production while working closely with equipment, manufacturing, quality, R&D, and production engineering teams.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with battery cell manufacturing processes, particularly winding, cell assembly, electrolyte filling, production trials, and process/equipment validation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional teams supporting battery manufacturing equipment, processes, and production trials.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute pre-production and manufacturing trial activities.
• Investigate and resolve material, product, equipment, and manufacturing process issues.
• Perform root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Develop detailed trial plans for process confirmation and problem-solving activities.
• Utilize Toyota Business Practice (TBP), Lean manufacturing, or similar structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Evaluate battery cell performance using analytical tools, manufacturing data, and quality methods.
• Track trial results, KPIs, technical issues, and corrective actions.
• Develop detailed technical reports and executive-level summaries.
• Support process and equipment specifications, improvements, and kaizen activities.
• Coordinate new material introductions, validation activities, and manufacturing change points.
• Collaborate with Production Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, R&D, equipment suppliers, and other internal and external partners.
• Support standardization and continuous improvement of manufacturing systems and procedures.
• Mentor team members in battery technology, trial planning, execution, data analysis, and manufacturing principles.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering or a related technical field.
• Minimum 3 years of engineering experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience supporting manufacturing production preparation, including:
  • Project planning and schedule management
  • Process and equipment planning
  • Equipment specifications and procurement
  • Installation and commissioning
  • Manufacturing trials and validation
• Experience with battery cell products, manufacturing processes, equipment, or trial activities.
• Strong manufacturing problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
• Experience interpreting and applying product/process specifications, engineering drawings, and manufacturing data.
• Experience working across multiple functions within a large manufacturing organization.
• Ability to communicate technical results and project status to leadership.

Highly Preferred Experience

• 2+ years of experience with winding, cell assembly, and electrolyte filling for automotive battery cells; 5+ years preferred.
• Lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing experience.
• Battery chemistry and material knowledge.
• Experience conducting trials to validate new materials, processes, or equipment.
• Toyota Production System (TPS) experience.
• Toyota Business Practice (TBP) or equivalent structured problem-solving experience.
• Ryohin Joken / Conditions for Good Process and Product experience.
• New-model manufacturing or simultaneous engineering experience.
• Manufacturing plant production operations experience.
• Data analytics tools and methods.
• Digital engineering software and the ability to read, interpret, or modify model data.
• Japanese language proficiency is a plus.

Ideal Candidate

The strongest candidate will be a hands-on battery manufacturing engineer who understands both the product and the production process. Experience with automotive lithium-ion battery cells, winding, cell assembly, electrolyte fill, equipment/process trials, material validation, and manufacturing problem solving will be especially valuable.

Candidates from battery manufacturing, automotive, chemical/material engineering, semiconductor manufacturing, or other advanced high-volume manufacturing environments may also be considered when their experience aligns closely with battery processes and production trials.

Additional Requirements

This position may require overtime, weekend or plant-shutdown support, and domestic/international travel based on project needs. International travel may include Japan for equipment testing and related engineering activities.