What to Expect
As a Reliability Characterization Engineer, you will be an integral part of enhancing the reliability of our innovative Industrial Energy, Residential Energy, Charging, and Solar products by investigating underlying mechanisms of reliability test failures during the design and development phases. You will utilize a plethora of sophisticated chemical/thermal (e.g. FTIR, LIBS, EDS, DSC), dimensional (e.g. CMM, FaroArm, optical profilometry), and imaging (e.g. OM, 2D x-ray, CT, SEM) characterization tools to provide an in-depth understanding of component defects and degradation. Your findings will be crucial in identifying and rectifying design and material weaknesses, providing essential insights that drive the optimization of designs and fortify the robustness and dependability of Tesla’s cutting-edge energy and charging solutions.
What You’ll Do
Apply various inspection techniques to evaluate the state of health of Tesla’s Energy and Charging components and identify signs of degradation for diagnostics and prognostics of new Tesla designs during the development phase
Apply mechanical, materials, and chemistry fundamentals to analyze components from a wide variety of systems that compose Tesla’s Energy and Charging products including battery, thermal, enclosure, and electronics
Determine most effective tools and methods to use when addressing constantly evolving problems, considering tool limitations and resource availability, and lead innovation in inspection methodologies and deepen the understanding of failure modes to optimize the remaining useful life for Tesla Energy & Charging products
Provide insights into hardware root causes of detected accelerated life test failures and recommend potential mitigations to address these issues for early Tesla design spins
Collaborate with colleagues across teams to drive effective communications with leadership to present results and propose solutions
Maintain a safe and efficient laboratory space by following safety and 5S best practices
Actively train colleagues on lab equipment usage and inspection methodologies, fostering a knowledgeable and skilled team
What You’ll Bring
Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Chemistry/Chemical Engineering, or equivalent experience
Experience using failure analysis techniques such as Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) measurements, cross-sectioning, Scanning Electrode Microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and/or Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
Relevant experience of hardware failure characterization for reliability a plus
Proven attention to detail and critical thinking to implement accurate procedures while adapting for a variety of components and novel investigations
Ability and desire to learn new techniques/methodologies, propensity to seek out underlying how/why, and inclination to innovate
Working knowledge of mechanical computer-aided design (CAD) tools a plus
Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively in a team

Palo Alto, California

Full time