QUALITY CONTROL ENGINEER

Quality Control 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

The Quality Control Engineer will be the backbone that ensures product meets defined specifications from incoming raw materials to in-process checks and final cell inspection. You will be responsible for maintaining product quality as manufacturing scales.

 

Core Responsibilities

• Develop and execute incoming inspection plans for raw materials such as lithium foil, electrolyte precursors, catalysts, separators, and other cell components
• Develop and own the quality control plan and work with other engineers to define specifications for
materials and manufacturing processes
• Define and monitor in-process quality checkpoints across electrode/electrolyte fabrication and cell assembly; apply statistical process control to flag drift before it becomes scrap
• Perform final cell inspection and acceptance testing; maintain traceability from raw material lot to finished cell

• Lead non-conformance investigations and corrective/preventive action (CAPA), including root-cause analysis with process and R&D engineering

• Establish and maintain calibration schedules for test and measurement equipment

• Build out quality documentation and management-system practices (aligned to ISO 9001 principles) appropriate to a scaling startup

• Support safety and performance testing relevant to aviation/defense end markets as those requirements come into scope

 

NOTE: This position may require access to information or technology controlled under the ITAR/EAR; applicants must qualify as a U.S. Person under 22 CFR 120.15 or be eligible for the appropriate government license or exemption prior to starting.

 

Key Deliverables/Outcomes

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Incoming inspection plans fully documented and implemented for every active raw material type, with no undetected out-of-spec lots reaching production
• In-process SPC checkpoints established and actively monitored, with process drift identified and addressed before it results in scrap
• Zero critical non-conformances escaping to shipped cells; all final inspection and acceptance testing completed and documented on schedule
• Complete, unbroken lot-to-cell traceability maintained across all production runs
• CAPA investigations closed within target cycle time, with root-cause analysis and corrective actions verified as effective
• 100% of test and measurement equipment maintained on calibration schedule, audit-ready at all times
• Quality management system documentation (aligned to ISO 9001 principles) built out and kept current as manufacturing scales
• Measurable reduction in scrap and yield loss attributable to quality escapes over time

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.

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