Engineering Program Manager, Photovoltaic Cells & Modules

What to Expect
Tesla’s Energy Engineering Program Management team is seeking a highly motivated Engineering Program Manager to lead the development and execution of existing and next-generation Solar Products, including photovoltaic (PV) cells, solar panels, and related energy products. This is a highly cross-functional role requiring close collaboration across Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Compliance, Reliability, Test, and Field Operations to define and deliver new product programs while driving improvements and changes to existing products.

As part of the Design Engineering organization, you will work across the product development and manufacturing lifecycle, shepherding programs from concept and design through prototype development, validation, manufacturing bring-up, and ramp to high-volume production. Your engineering background and experience with semiconductor and/or PV products will enable you to understand product and manufacturing requirements, assess technical and operational risks, develop effective validation strategies, and accelerate the transition from engineering development to production.

You will own program execution with a high degree of autonomy, establishing priorities, managing dependencies, resolving cross-functional issues, and ensuring programs meet quality, cost, technical, and schedule objectives. You will communicate program status and key decisions to engineering leadership, proactively identify risks and schedule impacts, and develop recovery plans to keep programs on track.

In addition to managing individual programs, you will help develop and implement tools, processes, and best practices that improve engineering execution, risk management, change management, and organizational productivity.

This role is based in the Bay Area (Palo Alto/Fremont), with travel to manufacturing facilities in California and/or Texas as required by program needs.
What You’ll Do

• Lead cross-functional engineering programs for photovoltaic (PV) products, coordinating Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Reliability, Test, Quality, and other supporting functions from concept through production ramp

• Drive product design and manufacturing development, translating product requirements into executable engineering plans and ensuring alignment between design intent, manufacturability, quality, cost, and production requirements

• Manage product cost-down, quality improvement, and design optimization initiatives, balancing technical performance, manufacturability, cost, reliability, and schedule

• Develop, maintain, and communicate integrated engineering and manufacturing schedules, track program milestones and dependencies, identify schedule risks, and drive recovery plans when programs deviate from plan

• Prioritize engineering activities based on technical risk, business impact, resources, cost, and schedule, ensuring teams remain focused on the highest-value program objectives

• Drive product change management, including engineering changes, BOM updates, product releases, and coordination across design, manufacturing, supply chain, and operations

• Establish and improve program management processes, risk-management frameworks, and change-control mechanisms to increase engineering execution efficiency and predictability

• Identify and remove technical, manufacturing, supply chain, and organizational obstacles through data-driven problem solving and effective cross-functional collaboration

• Communicate program status, key risks, decisions, and recovery actions clearly to engineering leadership and executive stakeholders, building alignment and accountability across multiple levels of the organization

What You’ll Bring

• Demonstrated experience managing engineering programs for mass-produced photovoltaic (PV) products (or semiconductor related products), from product development and design through validation, manufacturing bring-up, and ramp to mass production

• Strong understanding of the product development lifecycle, including product requirements, design engineering, prototype development, qualification/validation, manufacturing readiness, and production ramp

• Experience working cross-functionally with design engineering, manufacturing engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, reliability, test, and compliance teams to drive complex engineering programs to completion

• Experience managing product changes, engineering change orders, BOM structures, and product release processes across multiple engineering and manufacturing functions

• Proven ability to identify technical, manufacturing, supply chain, and schedule risks; develop mitigation and recovery plans; and drive programs to meet cost, quality, and schedule objectives

• Experience with PV/solar cell products and semiconductor technologies, with the ability to translate complex technical requirements into executable engineering and manufacturing plans

• Demonstrated experience creating, maintaining, and communicating integrated engineering and manufacturing schedules to technical teams and executive leadership

• Strong understanding of manufacturing line bring-up, process qualification, production readiness, and ramp to high-volume manufacturing

• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with a strong record of managing complex, cross-functional programs and maintaining clear program documentation and change control

• Engineering background with the ability to engage deeply with technical teams, understand product and manufacturing risks, and make data-driven program decisions