Senior Powertrain/Battery Management Engineer

At **Manna **, we’re changing how the world receives things — by taking delivery to the skies.

Our mission is simple but ambitious:**to make high-speed suburban delivery affordable, green, and safe **. We design and build our own aviation-grade drones that deliver food, coffee, groceries, and more directly from local stores and vendors to people’s doors in just a few minutes.

We’re a team that **Drive with Impact , are Safety Focused , and knows that the best ideas come from Team Players ** who show up as their ** Authentic Selves . We move fast, we are passionate about what we do, and we’re always pushing a growth mindset to be better ** in everything we do.

If you want to build world-changing technology with real-world impact (and have a bit of fun while doing it), you’ll love it here.

Welcome to Manna — where we deliver the future.

Role Purpose

As a Senior Powertrain / Battery Management Engineer at Manna, you will lead the design, testing, and optimisation of our drone power systems — with a strong focus on battery management, energy modelling, and performance efficiency. Reporting to the Head of Electronics. You’ll play a critical role in transitioning to new battery chemistries and ensuring safe, reliable, and scalable powertrain performance across all operational regions

Key responsibilities of the role

• Manage all UAV battery-related activities across multiple geographies and environments (UAE, USA, Finland, Ireland)

• Design and maintain battery ground tests and commissioning systems, ensuring repeatability and safety.

• Conduct energy modelling and simulation (MATLAB/Simulink) to optimize energy use to maximise flight time and range.

• Provide technical leadership in areas of cell balancing & management, thermal management, SOH/lifetime optimisation, powertrain efficiency, and EMI/EMC compliance.

• Support the transition to a new safer, higher energy-density chemistries, including planning and executing comprehensive test campaigns.

• Collaborate with the Electronic Engineering team on development and integration of Battery Management Systems (BMS) across multiple UAV platforms.

• Build battery commissioning and validation processes for production readiness.

• Define best practices for safe charging, discharging, and lifetime management of battery packs.

• Manage and develop strategic partnerships with key vendors to ensure supply chain reliability and technical quality at scale.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Electronic, Mechanical, and Manufacturing teams to enhance powertrain integration.

Requirements

Education:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical, Power, or Mechatronic Engineering (or a related field).

Experience:

• Minimum 7+ years’ experience in battery systems, power electronics, or related energy storage applications.

Battery Expertise:

• Strong knowledge and proven track record in battery chemistry and Battery Management Systems (BMS) — including SOC/SOH monitoring, cell balancing, voltage/current protection, and thermal control.

Technical Proficiency:

• Hands-on experience with Lithium-ion chemistries (NMC, LCO, LiPo).
• Skilled in performing and automating battery test procedures (capacity, energy, SOC/SOH, internal resistance [AC/DC], thermal).
• Proficient in energy modelling and simulation using MATLAB/Simulink or equivalent tools.

Systems Knowledge:

• Familiar with smart charging infrastructure, swappable battery packs, and power distribution systems.
• Experience with thermal management, EMI control, and inrush protection design principles.
• Soft Skills: Strong analytical mindset with excellent problem-solving, data analysis, and cross-functional communication abilities.

Team & Culture:

• Collaborative team player, comfortable in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Additional Requirements:

• Fluent English — written and verbal.
• Full driver’s license.