Reliability Engineer, Exteriors & Lighting

Description

We are looking for a Reliability Engineer with a strong background and interest in materials and electro-mechanical exterior and lighting systems to join our vehicle systems reliability team. In this role, you will play a key part in designing reliability into our exterior and lighting systems — including body panels, fascias, bumpers, lighting assemblies, seals, glass, aero surfaces, and coatings — that define durability, appearance, water management, and lighting performance across Tesla’s vehicle platforms. As a successful candidate, you will follow the reliability lifecycle of these systems from concept through design, development, manufacturing, and field operation to design-in, confirm, and grow exceptional reliability at every stage.

This role is highly engaging, and you will also be exposed to our entire vehicle portfolio. You will collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to understand emerging designs and architectures. You will be responsible for identifying risks associated with these architectures. You will identify appropriate stresses that our products must pass and create test plans, which will be used to assess the reliability of our products. You will provide reliability analyses and suggestions to improve the reliability of our products.

You must have a genuine passion for engineering products that will fundamentally change the world, and you must be self-motivated with the desire to push boundaries. If you have a strong technical first-principles understanding, excellent problem-solving skills, and a genuine fascination for engineering, this is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the cutting-edge technology of Tesla’s products and shape the future. It comes naturally to you to deliver results under high pressure with tight schedules.

The level of this position will be determined at the time of the interview.

Responsibilities

• Apply solid knowledge of reliability methods, material science, and mechanical engineering to design accelerated test plans for design validation, burn-in testing, and demonstration of reliability growth
• Analyze field usage and environmental conditions, including temperature, humidity, UV, dust, salt, mud, and chemical exposure, to optimize design requirement setting, durability specifications, and test methods 
• Facilitate and lead design FMEA sessions to assess product risks, determine validation test plans and drive reliable design choices 
• Work with design, test, manufacturing quality, supplier quality, and service engineering to identify root causes and drive resolution for failures originating in testing and in the field
• Collaborate closely with mechanical design and material engineering teams to ensure reliability is designed into emerging architectures
• Generate process validation test plans to implement at suppliers, and drive root cause corrective action with suppliers to resolve production process issues
• Perform reliability modeling, life data analysis, and quantitative predictions to inform design decisions and service life/warranty forecasting
• Provide reliability design guidelines and apply reliability lessons learned to enable continuous improvement

Requirements

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Material Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years of experience working on mechanical and/or electro-mechanical systems such as exterior panels and fascias, lighting assemblies, seals and weatherstrips, coatings, glass/glazing, or related automotive, aerospace, or high-reliability applications 
• Proficiency in understanding the failure modes and degradation mechanisms of exterior and lighting systems, including polymer aging, coating degradation, UV/weathering, corrosion, sealing and water ingress, condensation, thermal cycling, fatigue, and optical/thermal aging of lighting 
• Self-driven and focused individual with a proven ability to manage parallel tasks effectively, with a desire to work in a fast-paced environment 
• Proven ability to remain engaged, proactive, and positive in tough circumstances 

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:

• Medical plans > 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 Accounts) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High-Deductible 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 (90 day waiting period)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions, Accrued hours for Hourly 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
• Earned Wage Access: Real-time pay access paid daily, subject to eligibility and schedule (applicable for below Sr. Managers levels)

Expected Compensation

$91,600 - $234,000/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.