FAILURE ANALYSIS ENGINEER

Failure Analysis Engineer

Classification: Salary exempt

Reports to: Principal Technology Development Engineer

 

About Air Energy, Inc.

Air Energy is an energy storage platform company developing solid-state lithium-air batteries to deliver transformational improvements in energy density, safety, and mission capability for aerial and autonomous platforms and back-up AI power resilience systems.
We were founded on a simple conviction: the limits of electric flight, autonomy, and resilient power aren't set by physics — they're set by batteries. Lithium-ion technology is nearing its ceiling, and incremental gains can no longer unlock the step-change performance required for long-range drones, electric aviation, and mission-critical power systems operating far from the grid. Air Energy exists to break through that ceiling.

 

Born from a breakthrough in solid-state lithium-air science, we're pioneering a new class of batteries designed to deliver nearly 4x the energy density of today's best lithium-ion cells, while improving safety, sustainability, and system-level resilience. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen internally, our architecture dramatically reduces inactive mass — enabling lighter platforms, longer endurance, and entirely new mission profiles. This is a platform shift: it will unlock capabilities such as multi-day autonomous maritime surveillance, long-range cargo drones, persistent aerial communications, electric regional aviation, and resilient backup power for critical infrastructure and AI data centers.

 

We are execution-driven, moving from validated science to real-world cells, pilot manufacturing, and full-system integration in partnership with government and commercial leaders. Air Energy is a Public Benefit Corporation because our mission goes beyond performance metrics and financial returns — we're building foundational energy technology to catalyze energy resilience and independence at scale. For more information, visit airenergy.io.

 

Purpose of the Role

Air Energy's Failure Analysis Engineer will lead the characterization and failure-analysis backbone of our R&D efforts—generating data that explains why a cell performed the way it did, and where the chemistry should go next. You'll work across imaging, spectroscopy, and gas analysis on lithium metal anodes, solid electrolytes, air cathodes, and full cells, and lead post-mortem investigations.

 

Core Responsibilities

• Design and run characterization plans (SEM/EDS, XRD, XPS, Raman, FTIR, BET, particle size analysis) across anode, solid-electrolyte, and air-cathode materials at every stage of development

• Lead post-mortem failure analysis on cycled and failed cells—electrochemical analysis, glovebox teardown, and root-cause investigation

• Correlate microstructural and chemical data with electrochemical performance (EIS, galvanostatic cycling) to build structure-property-performance understanding

• Identify early-life electrochemical signatures that may be predictive of long-term performance degradation

• Maintain rigorous sample-handling protocols for air- and moisture-sensitive materials, including safe handling of lithium metal, in glovebox and dry-room environments

• Build and maintain a database identifying defects at the material, electrode, and cell level

• Maintain up-to-date FMEA documentation for electrode and cell design

• Work alongside R&D engineers to turn findings into concrete next experiments

• Communicate findings clearly in written reports and technical reviews with a PhD-heavy technical team

 

Note: This position supports U.S. Government–funded research programs. Applicants must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents, or protected individuals under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) or be eligible for any required U.S. Government authorization before starting work.

 

Key Deliverables/Outcomes

​Success in this role will be measured by:

​

• Characterization plans (SEM/EDS, XRD, XPS, Raman, FTIR, BET, particle size analysis) executed on schedule across anode, solid-electrolyte, and cathode materials, with results feeding directly into next-experiment decisions

• Post-mortem failure analyses completed with clear, defensible root-cause conclusions for cycled and failed cells

• Structure-property-performance correlations documented, linking microstructural and chemical data to electrochemical performance (EIS, galvanostatic cycling)

• Early-life electrochemical signatures identified and validated as predictive indicators of long-term degradation

• A living defect database maintained at the material, electrode, and cell level, and kept current

• FMEA documentation for electrode and cell design kept up to date and audit-ready

• Findings communicated clearly in written reports and technical reviews, understood and actioned by a PhD-heavy technical team

• Zero safety incidents handling air- and moisture-sensitive materials, including lithium metal, in glovebox and dry-room environments

Compensation

The target base salary range for this position is $90,000–$130,000, with placement within the range based on experience, qualifications, and level at hire. Compensation may also include equity participation and performance-based incentives, in addition to the benefits summarized below.