Staff Engineer, Process Development
QuantumScape · California
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Process
- Base pay
- $162k–$217k
- Experience asked
- 6+ years
- Industry
- Automotive
- Posted
- 2 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior process role at QuantumScape (automotive) in California. MS and BS candidates with equivalent industry experience in process research and development will also be considered.
- They ask for
- 6+ years
- Tools it names
- Tooling, SolidWorks
- Base pay
- $162k–$217k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Process Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $120k–$171k. This one lists $162k–$217k.
Median of the low and high ends of 64 live postings that list pay, out of 102 process engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 101 other live process postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 32% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (6+ vs 5+)
Typical $116k–$171k, from 61 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Root cause 44%
- DOE 28%
- SPC 26%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 24%
- Team leadership 22%
- New product launch 21%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for SolidWorks, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Process team at QuantumScape
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
Full description from QuantumScapeAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
- ✓Work is performed in a dry room or lab area, requiring the use of fine motor skills
- ✓Sitting or standing for extended periods of time
- ✓Reaching and twisting motions with hands
- ✓Lifting up to 25 lbs.
ONSITE: This position is required to work onsite 5 days per week to meet the minimum essential duties and
requirements
of this position. As an on-site R&D and manufacturing operations organization, in-person face to face interaction is essential to building authentic relationships, trust, teamwork, and collaboration.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
QuantumScape is on a mission to transform energy storage with solid-state lithium-metal battery technology. The company’s next-generation batteries are designed to enable greater energy density, faster charging and enhanced safety to support the transition away from legacy energy sources toward a lower carbon future.
About the team : The Cobra Hardware & Process team develops the heat treatment equipment and process for scale-up of the Cobra ceramic separator manufacturing process. We custom design most of our tools in-house to the needs of our unique process and materials system. The team consists of both hardware and process engineers, who work closely together to identify and implement novel solutions for improving throughput, quality and robustness.
What we need: The Cobra team is seeking an experienced and highly skilled Staff Engineer, Process Development to help develop our next-generation processes and tools. We are looking for a candidate with a strong background in processing or materials, who also has experience working on equipment and can interface seamlessly with mechanical and controls engineers on the team. In this position, your input will be critical in guiding which new design and process approaches are prototyped, get deployed on production tooling, and become part of our long-term roadmap, making this a pivotal role for shaping the future of our separator manufacturing.
What You’ll do
- •Design and execute experiments for fabricating ceramic films on prototype heat treatment equipment
- •Analyze materials characterization data, prepare reports for colleagues, and make recommendations for process and hardware improvements
- •Suggest, oversee and evaluate effects of hardware modifications to existing processing equipment
- •Bring up, debug and transfer processes to new production equipment
- •Identify potential process or hardware failure modes and develop robust mitigation strategies
Skills You’ll Need
- •PhD in engineering or science with 6+ years of experience, preferably in an industrial process R&D setting. MS and BS candidates with equivalent industry experience in process research and development will also be considered.
- •Experience in materials characterization techniques (e.g. XRD, SEM, FIB, EDS)
- •Experience in hands-on troubleshooting of mechanical systems, preferably processing equipment for battery, semiconductor, or related fields
- •Familiarity with mechanical design, including at least one major CAD package, e.g. SolidWorks, AutoDesk Inventor
- •Working knowledge of statistics and proficiency in data analysis software, e.g. JMP, Python, or equivalent
- •Capability to drive projects to completion with little oversight
Nice to have
- +Experience in web handling
- +Deep familiarity with high temperature processing and equipment, e.g. Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP)
- +Experience fabricating or characterizing ceramic materials or thin films, especially solid electrolyte or energy materials
- +Experience in process and/or manufacturing scale-up
Physical