As a Senior Electrical Development Engineer, you will join a world-class team responsible for designing, building, and deploying automation solutions for Tesla's groundbreaking 4680 battery cell manufacturing. This hands-on role involves owning electrical controls designs from concept to implementation, working closely with cross-functional teams and vendors across global sites like California, Texas, and Berlin. You'll focus on high-speed manufacturing processes with discrete and continuous operations, ensuring high quality and automation standards. Expect to be on the factory floor troubleshooting, optimizing systems, and contributing to Tesla's standards to accelerate low-cost battery production and the transition to clean energy. Projects are interdisciplinary, requiring collaboration on innovative technologies for equipment like calendaring, high-speed web handling, and conveyance.
- Participate in equipment concept development and balance product specifications, electrical requirements, component selection, controls architecture, and costs
- Define system interconnects, electrical schematics, and key automation components with other engineering groups to meet requirements
- Work closely with project managers and teams to translate expectations into final designs and ensure adherence to Tesla and regulatory standards
- Design power distribution, control panels, and functional safety circuitry to meet standards like NFPA 79, IEC 60204-1, UL 508A, and ISO 13849-1
- Select and size electrical and electromechanical components such as circuit protectors, sensors, PLC hardware, VFDs, servo systems, and safety hardware
- Troubleshoot power distribution panels, I/O panels, field instrumentation, safety interlock circuits, and electrical system issues in the field
- Manage vendors and suppliers during specification, design review, approval, commissioning, and installation of automated equipment
- Develop and maintain documentation, including schematics, utility matrices, and procedures for electrical equipment
- Implement continuous process optimization to improve quality, productivity, and reduce waste
- Provide training to production and maintenance teams and contribute to Tesla electrical standards and best practices
- Proficiency in electrical CAD systems like Eplan Electric P8 v2.9 or higher for designing control panels, power distribution, wiring, and instrumentation
- Experience selecting circuit protectors, wire and cable, sensors, safety hardware, PLC hardware, remote I/O, VFDs, servo systems, and key electrical components
- In-depth knowledge of electrical standards such as NEC, NFPA 79, IEC 60204-1, and UL 508A
- In-depth knowledge of safety standards such as ISO 13849-1 and ANSI/RIA15.06
- Familiarity with control systems like Beckhoff, Siemens and DeltaV, including EtherCAT, FSoE, PROFINET, and PROFIsafe
- Hands-on experience troubleshooting industrial control circuits, instrumentation, and safety interlock systems with common diagnostics tools such as DMMs, network testers and power monitors
- Ability to read process and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) to create electrical designs and schematics, including familiarity with hazardous (classified) locations and equipment requirements
- Proficiency in field network topology and practical applications
- Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent experience at least 3 years of relevant professional experience in electrical or automation engineering