As a Thermal Design Engineer in Tesla's Power Electronics team, you will be responsible for the design of cutting edge, world-class power converters used across the entirety of Tesla, from Vehicle and Energy Storage to Solar and Manufacturing. You will be joining an elite team of driven engineers with a huge scope, reach, and potential impact. We are hardcore and the work is fast-paced and challenging – Tesla’s mission and vision must excite you.
Power electronics 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 and magnetic physics and even 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 products. Your day-to-day tasks will involve design, analysis, and testing of all structural, thermal, environmental, and insulating aspects of converter components and their electrical connections. An example would be the detailed design of custom magnetic components such inductors, transformers, filter chokes, etc. You will own the design from conception through all of its iterations to mass-production.
What You’ll Do
- Modeling and design of mechanical components and assemblies including heatsinks, magnetics, high voltage connectors, insulation systems, PCBA components and others such as sheetmetal, plastics, etc.
- Mechanical design analysis focused in heat transfer, thermodynamics & fluids along with mechanics of materials.
- Design of components & assemblies for manufacturing/automation, and design for test.
- Solve electronics packaging issues including: thermal management; electrical isolation; sealing; interconnection; shock, vibration & strain management; electromagnetic interference (EMI); RF communications, etc.
- Develop engineering test methods for characterization and test plans for design verification.
- CFD & Thermal Simulation along with structural FEA.
- Thermal Model creation, calibration, and validation.
- Create drawing packages and manufacturing instructions for parts and assemblies.
- Assist in engineering prototype builds, testing, & component fabrication.
- Collaborate with other mechanical, systems, electrical, digital control, manufacturing, industrial design, compliance, and test engineers to take designs from concept through prototype to mass production.
What You’ll Bring
- Roles available at multiple seniority levels i.e. Sr, Staff, etc.
- Experience using multiphysics simulation software such as ANSYS (preferred), COMSOL, StarCCM+, etc.
- First-principles physics understanding of multiple engineering disciplines such as: heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluids, electrical fundamentals, power conversion & magnetics
- Knowledge of GD&T, finite element analysis, and design for reliability concepts.
- Experience using CATIA V5 and/or 3DExperience (V6)
- Experience with PLM systems, engineering changes, deviations, BOM structuring, etc.
- Working knowledge of MATLAB and Python
- Experience with environmental, reliability, safety, and industry standard requirements for automotive, industrial & residential products.
- Proficient in English, fluent in English (preferred)
- Basic understanding of electrical design fundamentals.
- Experience with high volume manufacturing processes such as injection molding, stamping, diecast, etc.
- Familiarity with PCBAs and PCBA components
- BS degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience, MS preferred