Job Description

What to Expect

Tesla’s Battery Reliability Test team is looking for a skilled and motivated battery test engineer. The team’s mission is to validate reliability and durability of batteries, modules, and battery electronics against requirements and standards. The team thus contributes to design and product validation. As a successful candidate, you will follow the reliability lifecycle from concept to design, development, manufacturing, and field operation. As an industry leading company, Tesla offers the opportunity to work on industry leading technology in a fast paced, dynamic, and high visibility role.

What You’ll Do

• Perform reliability and durability tests for batteries, modules and battery electronics independently using specialized equipment, fixtures, environmental test chambers, power supplies, and data loggers according to SOPs and internal standards.
• Define test plans, articles, methods and equipment; propose design of experiments to better understand observations. Contribute to FMEA and field reliability topics.
• Process raw data into meaningful conclusions; perform thorough documentation. Share high-quality reports with internal technical teams, external suppliers, and occasionally to executives.
• Perform, oversee and develop methods for destructive teardowns for root-cause analysis. Documenting findings and report outcomes.
• Maintain high test throughput/efficiency and data quality. Drive globally aligned improvement as needed. Collaborate with internal or external stakeholders to make improvements.
• Build, assemble, commission equipment and tests.
• Lead junior colleagues during assembly, build, testing, teardown, and comparable tasks. Train staff to operate and troubleshoot test equipment; ensure training content was learned.
• Create work plans/daily schedules and define priorities. Ensure timely and effective delivery of test results.
• Collaborate with external stakeholders and oversee external testing.
• Own organizational tasks & responsibilities like creation & maintenance of procedures, SOPs, standards, equipment, inspections, lab commissioning, facilities, maintenance, and staff trainings.
• Expect to acquire knowledge about relevant standards, guidelines, and norms as required for the task.
• Tasks require working with hazardous materials, high-voltage (live batteries) and other hazardous energy using mandated PPE and procedures to perform tests in person and in lab environments.
• 25% travel to test locations is expected if required for the project.
• Other tasks as required.

What You’ll Bring

• >2 years of experience working on battery systems / high voltage laboratory testing environment (including relevant internship or academic lab work experience)
• Basic familiarity with UN ECE R100 and/or similar EV test standards and ability to connect battery behavior and test results with phenomena like corrosion, vapor ingress, creepage.
• Ability to systematically identify potential failure modes in products and components, collaborate cross-functionally to drive corrective and preventive actions.
• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Material Science, Electrical Engineering, Automation technology or equivalent experience with hands-on mindset and hands-on experience.
• Experience with controllers, DAQs, sensors, communication standards like CAN, including hands-on experience with troubleshooting within automotive or similar embedded systems environments.
• Experience with python (or other object-oriented coding language) for hardware control and data analysis.
• 3D CAD skills (CATIA preferred) and ability to design and build test benches.
• Exceptional organization and communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Analytical, structured, and goal-oriented working style with high attention to detail.

Additional Preferred Skills

• HV training/experience (HV level 2/3 trainings) is a plus.
• Experience with setup and commissioning equipment including risk assessments and acceptance testing is a plus.
• Experience using controlled environmental chambers to perform validation tests and verify system performance under varying conditions.
• Driving license Class B valid in Germany is a plus.
• Fluent German language skills are a plus.