Pivotal is the leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. We design, develop, and manufacture light eVTOL aircraft and are renowned for the BlackFly aircraft the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer market.

Efficient, compact, and simple, Pivotal aircraft are designed for a wide range of consumer, public service, and defense applications. Our distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture and scalable platform have been flying for over 10 years. Last year we announced our next-generation aircraft, the Helix, which is rapidly progressing toward general release and scalable production in 2026.

Mobility is one of the most highly-valued areas of modern technology investments. This is the right company, in the right space, the right strategy, at the right time. If you are ready for adventure, we invite you to join our amazing team and grow with us.

About the Job

The Battery Engineering team at Pivotal is seeking a hands-on Battery Test Engineer to own the design and execution of battery performance characterization, thermal-runaway, abuse, environmental, and durability testing. This engineer will translate system risks and requirements into safe, instrumented, repeatable tests at the cell and pack levels, then convert test results into defensible engineering evidence and actionable design improvements.

Responsibilities

Own test planning and hands-on execution for lithium-ion cells and aircraft battery packs.

Plan and execute electrical and thermal performance characterization of cell candidates and prototype packs, including capacity, DCIR, power capability, mission-profile cycling, and thermal response across temperature.

Operate high-power battery cyclers, cell cyclers, and environmental chambers, and maintain test profiles, data pipelines, and test-article configuration records.

Deliver correlation-ready datasets to the simulation team and support model-versus-test comparison.

Design, build, and execute thermal-runaway initiation, propagation, containment, venting, and mitigation tests, including fabrication of test articles, trigger methods, fixtures, and instrumentation appropriate to test objectives.

Develop environmental and durability tests covering temperature, thermal cycling, altitude or low-pressure exposure, humidity, vibration, mechanical shock, and transportation conditions as applicable.

Define test objectives, hazards, instrumentation needs, data-acquisition architecture, trigger logic, sampling rates, acceptance criteria, and stop conditions.

Prepare test articles, fixtures, chambers, power equipment, cooling systems, sensors, high-speed video, thermal imaging, and data-acquisition systems.

Lead test readiness reviews, job-hazard analyses, emergency planning, exclusion-zone definition, and coordination with EHS, facilities, fire-safety, and external laboratories.

Execute testing safely, monitor tests in real time, respond to anomalies, and protect personnel, facilities, test assets, and data integrity.

Analyze temperature, voltage, current, pressure, gas, flame, ejecta, and propagation behavior, as applicable to the test objective and facility capability.

Author clear test plans, procedures, reports, nonconformance records, root-cause assessments, and design recommendations.

Support model correlation and work with design engineers to improve containment, cooling, sensing, venting, and protection strategies.

Manage external test laboratories, including statement-of-work development, setup reviews, witnessing, data acceptance, and issue resolution.

Maintain calibrated instrumentation, safe lab practices, test configuration control, data traceability, and lessons learned.

Support transportation and environmental compliance test programs, including UN 38.3 activities, when applicable to the product and program phase.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical field.

Three or more years of hands-on battery, environmental, abuse, reliability, or aerospace hardware testing experience.

Experience designing instrumented tests and selecting thermocouples, voltage and current measurement, pressure sensing, thermal imaging, and data-acquisition hardware.

Working knowledge of lithium-ion battery hazards, high-voltage safety, stored-energy hazards, fire risk, and safe test operations.

Experience developing test fixtures, procedures, hazard controls, and technical reports.

Ability to troubleshoot hardware, instrumentation, wiring, communications, and data-quality issues in the laboratory.

Ability to work on-site and safely support physically hands-on test setup and execution.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience conducting or witnessing battery thermal-runaway, propagation, overcharge, external heating, short-circuit, crush, or penetration testing.

Experience with environmental chambers, vibration systems, thermal cycling, altitude chambers, shock testing, and high-power battery pack cyclers (e.g., Chroma, etc.) or cell cyclers (e.g., Biologic, Arbin).

Experience with electric aircraft, EV, UAV, aerospace, defense, or other safety-critical energy systems.

Familiarity with UN 38.3 and relevant battery or aerospace environmental-test standards, with the judgment to confirm applicability before defining a compliance plan.

Experience with LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB, Dewesoft, NI hardware, or comparable data-acquisition and analysis environments.

Experience with fire-safe test cells, exhaust and gas handling, remote monitoring, blast or fragment protection, and emergency-response coordination.

Experience managing outside laboratories and reviewing supplier test evidence.

Ideal Candidate

Has a strong laboratory and test-floor mindset and takes personal ownership of safe execution and high-quality data.

Balances urgency with disciplined readiness reviews, hazard controls, and configuration management.

Can move from requirement or failure concern to a practical test method, fixture, procedure, and evidence package.

Communicates unexpected results quickly and objectively and helps the team turn failures into design learning.

Attributes Aligned with Our Core Values

Safety Above All: Demonstrates a proactive safety mindset by embedding safety into daily work, identifying and mitigating risks, encouraging open dialogue about safety concerns, and continuously improving practices and protocols.
Customer Focus: Puts customers at the center of every action by understanding their challenges, delivering meaningful value, and supporting their success.
Work Better Together: Seeks and values diverse perspectives, builds cross-functional relationships, and fosters trust through empathetic, fact-based communication and commitment to shared decisions.
Be the Pilot: Drives results with clarity and purpose by focusing on what matters most, adapting to change, taking initiative, and owning outcomes.
Embrace the Unknown: Navigates ambiguity with resilience and bold thinking, challenges the status quo, and combines innovative ideas with practical approaches to overcome obstacles and drive progress.
Respect for People: Fosters a high-performance culture grounded in respect, professionalism, and support by balancing high expectations with a healthy, collaborative environment and being a trusted, dependable teammate.

Applicants must be eligible for employment in the United States and willing to work onsite at our HQ office in Palo Alto, CA.

Pivotal offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, and 401k plans.

Pivotal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Pivotal does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

About the company

Pivotal Aero designs and manufactures light electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for personal use, public service, and defense. Its Helix is a single-seat, all-electric aircraft on a fourth-generation eVTOL platform with a tilt-aircraft design, a simple single-stick control, triple modular redundancy, and a ballistic parachute. It aims to fit FAA Part 103 ultralight rules (no license in certain conditions) while requiring training, with shipments starting in 2024 and prices around $190,000 plus configurable options. Building on the SkyKar/Opener lineage, it has delivered pre-production BlackFly to the U.S. Air Force and deployed eVTOL for emergency medical services, pursuing a product-delivery model to broaden access and official operations.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Palo Alto, California

Founded

2009

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

PennDOT selected Pivotal for FAA eIPP work in May 2026, widening state-level adoption pathways.
Helix defense concepts published in September 2026 target DHS, CBP, SAR, and contested logistics.
August 2026 EMS flights and 300 training sorties give Pivotal credible operational proof for buyers.

What critics are saying

Ken Karklin left on August 31, 2026, creating execution risk during Helix ramp.
Pivotal sells a niche ultralight, not a regulated passenger network, limiting scale and margins.
If defense and EMS pilots stall after 2026, Pivotal risks becoming a collector-only hardware brand.

What makes Pivotal Aero unique

Helix and BlackFly exploit FAA Part 103, avoiding type certification delays that crush air taxis.
Pivotal achieved AS9100D certification on January 14, 2026, signaling aerospace-grade manufacturing discipline.
Hyde County used BlackFly in August 2026 live 911 response, proving real operations.

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Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan

Company News

IntelPro

Sep 1st, 2026

Larry Page s flying car company Pivotal loses its CEO.

Larry Page s flying car company Pivotal loses its CEO. The company told TechCrunch he is "pursuing new endeavors." Karklin will be replaced on an interim basis by Mike Ross, an aviation executive who joine The CEO of a flying car company backed by Larry Page has left the company. Ken Karklin, who was Pivotal's CEO for more than four years, left the role this week, according to a press release. Pivotal said Karklin is "pursuing new endeavors" but didn't offer any other information about the executive's departure from the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) firm. "Leading Pivotal has been the privilege of my career. Together, we've moved beyond the promise of light eVTOL and proved it out in practice," Karklin said in a statement. "This industry has moved past prototypes and press releases; it's now operating in the real world, under real constraints, with real consequences for the future of Advanced Air Mobility. As I turn to new endeavors, I do so knowing the foundation we built here will help carry this industry forward." Karklin will be replaced on an interim basis by Mike Ross, an aviation executive who joined Pivotal's board of directors in November 2025. Karklin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Karklin's departure comes two years after Pivotal started sales of Helix, its first lightweight electric personal aircraft. The single-seat aircraft doesn't require a pilot's license to fly and starts at around $200,000. "Ken's leadership over the past four years has been instrumental in bringing Pivotal to where it is today. Our team, our priorities, and our roadmap remain steady through this transition," Ross said in a statement. "I've had the honor of working closely with Ken as a Board member and watching Pivotal's disciplined approach to safety, engineering, and accessibility deliver on the vision of electric VTOL flight. I look forward to working with the team and guiding the company forward as we bring our fourth-generation Helix aircraft to market." Pivotal has also spent years developing an aircraft called BlackFly that is aimed at defense and first-responder use cases. Last month, BlackFly was used to respond to an emergency in North Carolina for the first time ever. The company says it beat an ambulance responding in parallel to the call by 20 minutes. BlackFly has flown more than 10,000 times, according to Pivotal. Pivotal is one of a number of companies in the space that was selected for the Federal Aviation Administration's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, which was created to increase testing of these types of aircraft around the country.

AeroTime

Aug 17th, 2026

Paramedic flies eVTOL to 911 call, beats ambulance by 20 minutes.

Paramedic flies eVTOL to 911 call, beats ambulance by 20 minutes. August 17, 2026 A paramedic in rural North Carolina has flown a single-seat electric aircraft to real 911 calls, reaching one patient about 20 minutes before a ground ambulance arrived. Hyde County Emergency Medical Services said flight-trained paramedic Quinn Reece used a Pivotal BlackFly electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft on two emergency response calls, carrying medical equipment and landing near the patients. On one of the calls, Reece arrived well ahead of the ambulance and began providing advanced life support while other responders were still en route. The missions are being described by Hyde County and its program partners as the first use of an eVTOL aircraft for routine emergency medical response in the US. The idea is not to replace an ambulance or transport patients by air. Instead, the aircraft is used to get a paramedic and critical medical equipment to the scene faster, particularly in places where long distances can slow conventional emergency response. That is a significant problem in Hyde County, which covers nearly 1,500 square miles of land and water in eastern North Carolina. For the missions, Reece flew directly to GPS coordinates near the emergency scenes. The equipment carried aboard the aircraft included a cardiac monitor, airway supplies and a primary response bag. "Every decision we make is about getting advanced care to our citizens faster," Hyde County EMS Chief Brook Cox said. "These missions proved that we can overcome distance, reach patients sooner, and redefine emergency response in rural communities." Hyde County EMS, Pivotal and emergency-services company Code Blue Resources developed procedures for using the aircraft on emergency calls over a number of months and completed more than 300 training exercises before beginning operational flights. Akute Networks also worked on the program as aviation program manager. The BlackFly is a very different aircraft from the larger eVTOL air taxis being developed by companies such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. It is a lightweight, single-seat electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically, allowing the paramedic to operate from locations where a conventional airplane, or even a helicopter in some cases, would not be practical. Pivotal has positioned the BlackFly and its newer Helix aircraft as personal electric aircraft rather than commercial air taxis. Their small size and regulatory status have also allowed the company to put aircraft into real-world operations while larger passenger-carrying eVTOL developers continue working toward certification.

Associated Press

Aug 11th, 2026

Hyde County becomes first in US to deploy eVTOL aircraft for emergency medical response

Hyde County, North Carolina, has become the first US county to deploy electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for emergency medical response. During two live 911 calls, a flight-trained paramedic piloted a Pivotal eVTOL directly to patients, arriving approximately 20 minutes before ground ambulances in one instance. The programme involved Hyde County Emergency Medical Services, Code Blue Resources, and Pivotal, with Akute Networks serving as aviation programme manager. The team completed over 300 training flights before launching live missions. Hyde County spans nearly 1,500 square miles, making traditional emergency response challenging. Unlike medical helicopters, the eVTOL can land in small clearings with minimal noise and rotor blast. The initiative establishes a new model for delivering advanced life support in rural areas where geography creates barriers to rapid emergency response.

Flying

May 26th, 2026

New states, aircraft confirmed for FAA's AAM test program.

New states, aircraft confirmed for FAA's AAM test program. Pennsylvania will lead a consortium of 18 participants and test at least one eVTOL not previously announced. Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at 04:00 PM ET Key takeaways: Several states and at least one new OEM on Tuesday confirmed their participation in the FAA's three-year, 26-state advanced air mobility (AAM) test program. The U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) in March revealed the eight lead eIPP participants but did not name all 26 states expected to host air taxi, cargo drone, and other demonstrations under the program. It said one lead agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), will work with 13 unnamed states to "revitalize regional flights across the country, including routes similar to those supported through the Essential Air Service program." Pivotal, a developer of personal eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft that was not initially announced as an eIPP partner, said Tuesday that it and PennDOT will bring those activities to the "heartland of the country that often gets bypassed by new technologies and services." In a news release, Pivotal said the partners will engage with the National Association of State Aviation Officials' (NASAO) AAM Multistate Collaborative, which comprises 34 state agencies committed to safely integrating the technology. The DOT in March identified the collaborative as PennDOT's partner but did not say which of its members would participate. Other PennDOT partners revealed some of them. Beta Technologies said it will study organ delivery logistics in Maryland and Virginia in partnership with customer United Therapeutics. Electra shared plans to demonstrate 50-to-500-mile links between Atlantic City in New Jersey and locations such as Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL). Representative Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) confirmed Washington state's participation. Now, Pivotal has named the remaining members of the consortium, which it said has swelled to 18 states. Participants not previously announced include Massachusetts, Alaska, Illinois, Maine, Delaware, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Tennessee. Perhaps the most notable is California, where several AAM manufacturers build, test, and plan to operate aircraft. Also part of the group - which Pivotal called the "Multistate Collaborative eIPP (MSCE) National Integration Complex" - are North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, and Oklahoma, all of which were previously confirmed as lead eIPP participants or partners on other projects. AAM in the Heartland. Led by PennDOT, the National Integration Complex is intended to create a wide-ranging sandbox for the testing of AAM aircraft across state lines, Pivotal said. It aims to identify areas of unmet need - such as in cargo or medical logistics - in order to ensure AAM services are economically viable in the future. "The MSCE wants to make sure that every American has access to the new technologies and services that are being created through AAM...not just large, wealthy [communities]," Pivotal said. In addition to the 18 states, the complex includes seven infrastructure providers, six universities, and "over 30 stakeholder partners representing 68 sites with the potential to reach over 50 million Americans," Pivotal said. It also comprises four operators - United Therapeutics, Republic Airways, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's STAT MedEvac, and an entity called "Nulton Aviation Tri State Charter." Nulton Aviation Services is the FBO for Johnstown Airport (KJST) in Pennsylvania, where Tri State Charter - operating as Slate Aviation - provides trips across the Northeast U.S. The operators will fly Beta's Alia electric aircraft and eventually Electra's EL9, which is designed for takeoffs and landings from soccer field-sized spaces. Pivotal said it is "supporting the MCSE" as a light eVTOL OEM but did not say whether its BlackFly or Helix - both Part 103 ultralight models with simplified controls - will participate. Six private individuals have taken delivery of the BlackFly, a prototype of the Helix. Commercial deliveries are anticipated soon, with the latter available for $190,000 in the U.S. Volunteer medics in Hyde County, North Carolina, are participating in a BlackFly "proof-of-concept" program, testing the aircraft's ability to support emergency medical services, law enforcement, firefighters, and search and rescue operations. They will not transport any patients, cargo, or delivery equipment at first, but the idea, ultimately, is for a BlackFly to escort first responders to the scene before an ambulance arrives. The MSCE could explore similar demonstrations. As the eIPP progresses, activities are expected to incorporate more advanced aircraft and operations such as passenger transport. The FAA may even allow participants to generate revenue. "It's an extraordinary opportunity to do things people had thought about before, like taking an airplane from the parking lot next door to an Atlantic City casino and flying it directly into one of the major airports in the neighborhood," Marc Allen, CEO of Electra, told FLYING in March. "Or flying it into the vertiport at the south end of Manhattan, down by Wall Street." Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel - and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.

Urban Air Mobility News

Aug 16th, 2025

Pivotal flies third-generation BlackFly at Canadian air show

Pivotal has demonstrated its third-generation BlackFly aircraft at the Abbotsford International Air Show in Canada.

Pivotal Aero

Battery Test Engineer

About the job