Staff Systems Engineer at Form Energy — Berkeley, CA

Role Description

As a Staff Systems Engineer, you will play a critical role in bringing our multi-day energy storage systems from pilot stages to full-scale commercial utility deployment. You will own the technical definition, architectural integration, and system-level performance trade-offs of our 100-hour iron-air battery systems, resolving complex multi-variable issues across electrical, mechanical, and electrochemical boundaries. By collaborating closely with cross-functional design, software, and validation teams, you will establish the systems-level design methodologies and verification procedures required to ensure the ultimate safety, durability, and commercial readiness of our technology. Ultimately, your technical leadership and system-level stewardship will directly enable the delivery of highly predictable, resilient energy storage systems that ensure long-term grid stability and continuous power delivery.

Relocation assistance is available.

What you'll do

• Lead system-level architecture design, boundary definition, and multi-disciplinary interface control for our multi-day iron-air battery energy storage systems.
• Define, cascade, and decompose system and subsystem requirements/functions to balance performance, safety, reliability, and manufacturing cost within a requirement management tool such as JAMA, Polarion, or DOORs.
• Conduct detailed system-level modeling, hazard analyses, and failure modes and effects analyses (FMEA) to proactively identify and mitigate technical risks.
• Use functional decomposition using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools such as Catia Magic to develop logical and physical architectures.
• Drive requirement change requests through functional impact analysis.
• Evaluate a system/sub-system’s technical maturity based on requirement, design, and verification coverage.
• Partner with electrochemical, mechanical, power electronics, and controls engineering teams to orchestrate comprehensive testing, validation, and system integration strategies.

What you'll bring:

• 7+ years of experience in systems engineering, product integration, or technical lead roles within deep-tech industries such as energy storage, automotive, aerospace, or industrial power systems.
• Deep technical breadth across multiple disciplines, including electrical systems, thermal management, software controls, and electrochemical or physical hardware development.
• Demonstrated track record of managing complex hardware requirements from initial concept through verification, validation, and commercial scale-up.
• Mastery of systems engineering tools and methodologies, including requirements management, boundary diagramming, interface controls, and risk assessment frameworks like DFMEA.
• Strong collaborative leadership skills and a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams toward technical alignment on multi-variable trade-offs.
• Intellectual curiosity that drives a continuous pursuit of understanding novel, complex technology from the component level to full grid integration.
• Pragmatic problem-solving skills to navigate ambiguity and balance rigorous engineering standards with the execution speed needed in a fast-paced environment.
• Thriving on complexity and enjoying the challenge of decomposing abstract, highly integrated technical problems into elegant and reliable system designs.

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