Engineering Technician, Cell Prototype Engineering, In House Cell Engineering

What to Expect

Tesla’s Cell Engineering team at San Diego is looking for an Engineering Technician to lead cell prototype assembly builds and ensure quality metrics. You will partner with Engineering, Quality, and Materials to lead front-end clear-to-builds (CTBs) through electrolyte filling, with close collaboration at formation. Moreover, support equipment installation and SOP development, as well as participate in cell assembly troubleshooting and failure root cause analysis. Join us and lead cell prototype assembly for the future of Tesla battery technologies.

What You’ll Do

• Lead a team of engineering technicians through daily cell prototype assembly builds - assign work, balance labor, coach in real time on build sequence, quality checks, 5S, and problem-solving, and hold the team to schedule
• Own shift-level safety, quality, and throughput — stop work when conditions are unsafe or out of standard and document incidents promptly
• Execute established processes and standard workflows, escalating gaps in process, parts, or equipment rather than inventing unapproved workarounds
• Support Engineering by capturing build issues, feeding back process observations, validating work instructions, and implementing engineering changes, new equipment, and updated work instructions
• Track and communicate shift KPIs (safety, first-pass yield, units vs. plan, downtime)
• Support timely failure analysis and root cause identification to resolve assembly issues
• Uphold and improve quality assurance, such as incoming inspection of parts or outgoing inspection of cells
• Track inventory, such as cell components, consumables, and lab supplies
• Collaborate with engineers and cross-functional teams

What You’ll Bring

• Engineering degree in Science or Engineering, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years of manufacturing, operations, or production leadership, or equivalent hands-on leadership of hourly technical teams, with proven ability to assign daily work, coach on process, and hold a team accountable to safety, quality, and output
• Comfortable operating in a changing prototype cell assembly environment where product, process, and work instructions iterate frequently
• Working knowledge of standard manufacturing practices including 5S, standard work, layered audits, and basic problem-solving (5-Why / Pareto)
• Ability to follow work instructions, interpret quality data, and communicate issues clearly to Engineering and peers
• Strong floor presence and bias for action, spending the shift on the line with the team
• Flexibility to work the shifts required by schedules, including nights, weekends, and off-shift coverage
• Experience in automotive, electronics, battery, or high-mix prototype manufacturing
• Self-driven, independent problem-solver capable of working with minimal guidance
• Physical requirements, such as lifting items up to 25 pounds, standing for long shifts, and dry room/PPE such as the capability to wear a respirator are required