Head, EV Cell Design

Purpose of the Role 
The Head — EV Cell Design will lead end-to-end cell design from electrochemical concept to manufacturable form factor. The role owns chemistry selection, electrode architecture, cell geometry, performance validation and the transition of designs from lab to Gigafactory production.

Job Responsibilities (KRA)
1. Cell Design & Electrochemistry

•   Lead end-to-end cell design from electrochemical concept to manufacturable form factor — spanning chemistry selection, electrode architecture, cell geometry and performance validation.

•   Define target cell specifications (energy density, power, cycle life, safety) aligned with the product line roadmap and EV application requirements.

•   Own electrode design decisions: active material selection, binder and conductive additive formulation, coating thickness and porosity targets, and calendering specifications.

2. Characterization & Failure Analysis

•   Conduct and review half-cell, full-cell and coin-cell characterisation studies; guide teams in EIS, GITT, rate-capability testing and post-mortem failure analysis.

•   Develop cell architecture choices with rigorous trade-off analyses for performance, cost and manufacturability.

•   Lead electrolyte system selection and qualification; define additive packages for cycle life, safety and low-temperature performance.

3. Scale-Up & Manufacturing Transfer

•   Work with Manufacturing Engineering to ensure cell designs are optimised for high-volume production — defining process windows for coating, winding/stacking, electrolyte filling and formation.

•   Collaborate with manufacturing or pilot-line teams to transfer lab-scale cell designs into scalable, high-yield production processes.

•   Support process capability analysis and yield improvement activities in early production phases.

4. Standards, IP & External Collaboration

•   Collaborate with Testing & Validation Head to define cell-level test protocols and accept/reject criteria aligned to AIS 038, IEC 62619 and application-specific requirements.

•   Track global cell design literature, patent landscape and competitor teardown findings; provide inputs to IP & Regulatory Head for freedom-to-operate assessments.

•   Engage with material suppliers and academic/research partners to stay at the cutting edge of cell technology.

5. Team Leadership

•   Build and mentor a multidisciplinary cell design team; set rigorous documentation standards and lead structured design reviews at every development milestone.

•   Define a culture of data-driven decision making — clear hypotheses, controlled experiments and well-documented conclusions.

•   Recruit and develop electrochemists, materials scientists and cell engineers of the highest calibre.

Job Requirements (KPI)
EDUCATION

•   Master's or PhD in Electrochemistry, Materials Science or Chemical Engineering.

•   Hands-on experience in electrode design, full-cell characterization and lab-to-pilot scale-up essential.

EXPERIENCE

•   12–15 years in Li-ion cell design, electrochemistry and product development.

•   Demonstrated experience in electrode design, cell characterization and scale-up from lab to pilot line.

•   Prior exposure to multiple cell chemistries (LFP, NMC, silicon-graphite) strongly preferred.