Tech Lead ESS

COMPANY PROFILE:

ideaForge is the leader in industrial and surveillance UAV manufacturing in India with more than 50% market share. The organization was established in 2007 by IIT-Bombay alumni and is based out of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. ideaForge co-designed India s first Surveillance quadrotor UAV, NETRA with the Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and is also responsible for engineering the then world s lightest Autopilot.

ideaForge develops completely indigenous technology for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Our organization is the pioneer in the UAS segment in India and has multiple IPs to its credit. Our in-house R&D, design, manufacturing, software, services and training operations give us the flexibility to customize products for an array of requirements. We are continually innovating and experimenting to transform our aerial platforms to offer greater performance, higher reliability and autonomy.

At ideaForge, our principle behind everything we design, and build is creating an impact - making the world a better and safer place. With this principle as our cornerstone, we have developed UAVs with unmatched global specifications. With this philosophy, we have consistently helped Indian Defense, Paramilitary & Police forces ensure the safety of our citizens and ultimately save precious lives.

POSITION OVERVIEW: We are seeking a tech Lead - ESS to join our dynamic and interdisciplinary UAV engineering team. The ideal candidate will be responsible for the ESS design and development of Hybrid UAV systems, with an emphasis on design excellence, manufacturability, integration readiness, and cross-functional collaboration. The candidate should bring deep experience in CAD design, tooling & assembly definition (TAD), PLM integration, material-process compatibility, and should be capable of taking end-to-end mechanical ownership from design to delivery.

JOB DESCRIPTION

1. Battery Pack Design & Development: Mechanical and Electrical

Lead the end-to-end design and development of rechargeable battery packs for UAV and aerospace applications.

Define battery architecture based on mission requirements, considering energy, power, endurance, weight, volume, reliability, and safety.

Design mechanically optimized battery packs to achieve maximum volumetric and gravimetric energy density while ensuring structural integrity.

Develop electrical battery pack architecture including cell configuration (series/parallel), interconnects, busbars, protection circuitry, fusing, current sensing, balancing, and BMS integration.

Design thermal management solutions using passive and active cooling techniques to maintain cell operating temperatures under all mission profiles.

Define enclosure sealing, environmental protection (IP rating), vibration isolation, crashworthiness, venting, and abuse tolerance.

Establish battery pack validation strategy covering functional, environmental, thermal, vibration, abuse, transportation, and lifecycle qualification testing.

2. Mechanical Design & CAD Ownership

• Lead the mechanical design of battery packs, battery enclosures, mounting systems, connectors, charging interfaces, and serviceability features using advanced parametric CAD tools (preferably PTC Creo).
• Develop and maintain complex CAD assemblies, design trees, manufacturing drawings, and configuration management across product variants.
• Drive modular, scalable, and maintainable battery architecture aligned with overall UAV product platforms.
• Perform tolerance stack-up analysis and optimize packaging for manufacturability and assembly.

3. Electrical Integration & Battery Management Systems

• Develop battery electrical schematics including high-current distribution, protection devices, contactors, pre-charge circuits, balancing circuits, and charging interfaces.
• Define battery management system (BMS) requirements including:
• Cell voltage monitoring
• Temperature monitoring
• State of Charge (SOC)
• State of Health (SOH)
• Cell balancing
• Protection logic
• Diagnostics
• Communication interfaces (CAN, UART, SMBus, etc.)
• Ensure compliance with electrical safety standards including insulation coordination, creepage, clearance, and fault protection.
• Work closely with embedded electronics teams for BMS hardware and firmware integration.

4. Thermal Engineering & Safety

• Perform battery thermal analysis under mission-specific duty cycles.
• Develop thermal mitigation strategies for high-power discharge, fast charging, and extreme environmental conditions.
• Evaluate and mitigate risks associated with thermal runaway, propagation, gas venting, internal short circuits, and abuse conditions.
• Define battery safety architecture, fault detection mechanisms, and protection strategies compliant with aerospace and defense applications.

5. Material Engineering & Manufacturability

Strong knowledge of materials (metals, polymers, composites) with a clear understanding of process-specific constraints.

Evaluate designs for manufacturability, cost efficiency, and reliability using DFM, DFX, and material selection tools.

Prior experience working with high-performance materials, injection molding, and machining processes is advantageous.

6. Manufacturing Engineering & Assembly Definition (TAD)

• Define battery manufacturing and assembly processes including cell matching, welding, bonding, potting, fastening, insulation, and sealing.
• Develop assembly BOMs, work instructions, tooling, fixtures, and end-of-line test processes.
• Optimize designs for manufacturability, serviceability, reliability, and production scalability.
• Support manufacturing transfer and pilot production activities.

7. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with systems engineering, integration, sourcing, testing, and manufacturing teams.

Take ownership of the design deliverables, resolve cross-domain design issues, and ensure on-time maturity of the mechanical stack.

Support V&V (Validation & Verification) activities and ensure that mechanical designs are compliant with technical specs and regulatory needs.

8. Root Cause Analysis

• Investigate battery failures through detailed mechanical, electrical, thermal, and electrochemical analysis.
• Correlate test data, field returns, manufacturing observations, and simulation results to identify root causes.
• Lead corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) for design, process, and supplier-related issues.
• Drive continuous improvements in battery performance, safety, reliability, and manufacturability.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

Educational Qualification

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Mechatronics, Automotive Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• M.Tech./MS/Ph.D. preferred for senior technical leadership roles.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of lithium-ion battery technologies (NMC, LFP, LMFP, High-Nickel, etc.).
• Hands-on experience in battery pack mechanical and electrical design.
• Knowledge of Battery Management Systems (BMS), charging systems, and battery protection architectures.
• Experience with thermal analysis and battery safety engineering.
• Proficiency in CAD tools (PTC Creo preferred).
• Familiarity with PLM systems (Windchill preferred).
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes including laser welding, ultrasonic welding, busbar design, adhesives, potting, injection molding, CNC machining, and additive manufacturing.
• Experience with DFMEA, PFMEA, Design Validation Plans (DVP&R), reliability engineering, and Root Cause Analysis.
• Understanding of applicable battery safety and transportation standards such as IEC 62133, UN 38.3, UL 2580, UL 2271, DO-311A, and relevant aerospace/defense requirements is desirable.

Leadership Competencies

• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong system engineering mindset with ownership from concept through production.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to mentor engineers and drive engineering best practices.
• Effective collaboration across design, manufacturing, quality, sourcing, and program management teams.

DESIRED BEHAVIOURAL VALUES:

Commitment to common purpose and goals

Seating respect on the table

Displaying Integrity and Ethics

Taking Initiative and ownership with Accountabilities

Being Passionate about making a difference

Maintaining and managing interpersonal harmonious relationships

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