Battery Service Engineer

Battery Service Engineer

At ABB, we help industries run leaner and cleaner—and every person here makes that happen. You'll be empowered to lead, supported to grow, and proud of the impact we create together. Join us and help run what runs the world.

This position reports to:

Service Engineering Manager

The work model for the role is:
Onsite, Richmond, VA

Your role and responsibilities In this role as Battery Service Engineer, you will have the opportunity to oversee the deployment, maintenance strategy, and operational readiness of our UPS battery infrastructure. In this role, you will transition from hands-on execution to program-level ownership—responsible for the entire lifecycle of critical backup power storage—including installation, commissioning, preventive maintenance, diagnostic troubleshooting, and replacement of various battery technologies (VRLA, Flooded Lead-Acid, Lithium-Ion), while ensuring absolute compliance with safety and environmental standards.

You will act as the primary interface between field operations, engineering, and client stakeholders to ensure maximum uptime, reliability, and safety for our clients' critical infrastructure, directly managing how energy storage systems interact with, support, and communicate with UPS topology.

You will be mainly accountable for:

• Develop, implement, and manage comprehensive programs for installation, startup, configuration, maintenance, and testing of UPS battery strings;
  Oversee internal Field Service Engineers and third-party service vendors. Define Scope of Work (SOW) documents, manage Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and audit field service reports to ensure work meets strict technical standards.
• Serve as the program-level expert on how to utilize advanced diagnostic tools (internal resistance/conductance testers, thermal imagers, and data loggers) to isolate cell failures, thermal runaway risks, and capacity degradation.
• Oversee the installation, program, and maintenance of Battery Monitoring Systems. Ensure accurate data reporting, alarm thresholds, and communication protocols (Modbus, SNMP) between the BMS and the UPS or building management systems;
  Analyze capacity test data, internal resistance trends, and runtime calculations to predict end-of-life cycles.
• Standardize and enforce safety protocols across all programs, ensuring strict alignment with OSHA, NFPA 70E (Arc Flash), and environmental regulations regarding EPA-certified battery disposal, recycling, and spill containment.
• Serve as the escalation point for major battery failures, thermal runaway events, or UPS integration issues. Lead root-cause analysis (RCA) investigations and implement preventative actions.

Qualifications for the role

• Bachelor degree in Engineering PLUS minimum 6 years of experience in field service specifically working with industrial UPS systems (3-phase preferred) and large-scale battery plants
• Strong foundational knowledge of 3-phase UPS systems and the distinct operating characteristics of VRLA, NiCad, and Lithium-Ion battery
• Expert-level experience with digital multimeters, battery impedance testers (e.g., Alber, Megger, Midtronics), load banks, etc.
• Experience commissioning or troubleshooting Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and their complex internal management systems, a plus
• Robust understanding of IEEE standards for battery maintenance and testing (IEEE 450, IEEE 1188, IEEE 1679); NFPA 70E Electrical Safety Certification, a plus
• Proficiency with computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), data analytics tools (Excel, Power BI), and project management software.
• Willingness to travel to domestic customer sites (typically 50%–75% in the beginning and reducing as a team is developed)
• Candidates must already have work authorization that would permit them to work for ABB in the US.

More about us

ABB Smart Power provides energy distribution solutions for data centers, industrial and manufacturing plants, critical infrastructure and commercial buildings. The Division's technical teams work closely with industry partners, delivering advanced solutions that support rapid growth, energy transition, and sustainability objectives. The…