Mechanical Design Engineer, Cell Formation

As a Mechanical Design Engineer in Tesla's Battery Cell Formation team, you will be responsible for the mechanical side of battery formation and testing equipment. You will be joining a team that works closely with electrical and PCBA design engineers, manufacturing engineers, equipment engineers, and controls engineers. We are hardcore and the work is fast-paced and challenging - Tesla's mission and vision must excite you.
Cell formation is one of the few fields that pushes the limits of a wide breadth of mechanical engineering. You will be required know and apply statics & dynamics, fluids & thermals, mechanics & vibration, etc. Our work is highly multi-disciplinary and you will be expected know or learn basic electrical physics and some elementary material science. Strong design skills, a 'first-principles' approach to problem solving, and curiosity to learn and develop are must-haves.
At Tesla, our design work doesn't only exist on a computer screen - design engineers will drive prototype builds, engineering testing, and validation of our equipment. You will own the equipment design from conception thru all of its phase builds and on to mass-production SOP and beyond. You will also be tasked with solving problems that will require you to dive deep into fully understanding and clearly defining the problem, performing root cause analysis, and developing a way to solve it and proving its efficacy thru practical validation.

Responsibilities

• Mechanical design analysis including thermal, tolerances, structural, vibrations, kinematics, fluids, etc.
• Develop engineering test plans for designs
• Collaborate with other mechanical, systems, electrical, digital control, manufacturing, industrial design, and test engineers to take designs from prototype through mass production
• Assist in engineering prototype builds and component fabrication
• Solve electronics packaging issues including: thermal management, fastening, connector application, busbar design, cable routing, etc.
• Modeling and design of mechanical components and assemblies including plastics, sheet metal, fasteners, and other components
• Selection and application of appropriate off the shelf components including motors, bearings, gears, sensors, pneumatics, cables, fasteners, thermal hardware, etc.
• Create drawing packages and manufacturing instructions for parts and assemblies

Requirements

• Proven strong understanding of engineering fundamentals and ability to apply them to equipment design and process development for high volume manufacturing
• Solid base of failure mode analysis and problem solving skills
• Working knowledge of mechanics, kinematics, and structure design, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics and how to apply them practically
• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience
• 3 or more years of experience as a Mechanical Engineer
• Experience with manufacturing equipment or electromechanical product design
• Experience with SolidWorks CAD and PDM software
• Strong understanding of drafting standards and the application of GD&T (e.g., ASME Y14.5)
• Experience on student engineering teams and organizations such as BAJA or Formula SAE, or similar, is a plus

Compensation and Benefits
Benefits

Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire:

• Aetna PPO and HSA plans > 2 medical plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution
• Company Paid (Health Savings Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Aetna medical plan with HSA
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
• Company paid Basic Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions), and Paid Holidays
• Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
• Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs
• Tesla Babies program
• Commuter benefits
• Employee discounts and perks program
Expected Compensation

$88,084 - $196,194/annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefits

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.