Process Development Engineer, Cathode Materials Manufacturing

What to Expect

Tesla's Cathode team is looking for a highly motivated Process Development Engineer to engineer solutions to a critical challenge facing the world's energy transition — Battery Cathode Materials. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to Tesla's world-class material process development and commercialization.

This role sits between two groups — material engineering, which develops the lab recipe, and process engineering, which designs the pilot line and the plant. Your job is to explore, select, and develop the equipment technology and unit operations that let a lab recipe successfully scale to pilot and then to commercial production. Strong candidates evaluate technology from first principles and build supplier partnerships that produce a working solution. Tesla is a demanding, fast-paced environment where you will work on a critical subsystem of an incredibly exciting product.

What You’ll Do

• Provide process and equipment technology for material synthesis at pilot and commercial scale, based on a full understanding of the lab recipe and existing technology on the market
• Apply engineering fundamentals and process engineering tools to evaluate unit operations (mixing, dosing, milling, drying, calcination) and recommend a solution with a roadmap
• Build and maintain relationships with equipment suppliers to establish strong technology partnerships
• Design and champion third-party trials for feasibility, validation, and data collection, with required domestic and international travel
• Identify and evaluate emerging technologies that can improve process capability in later phases
• Work with process engineering on the build, procurement, and commissioning of lab and pilot equipment
• Support safe day-to-day operation and improvement projects, and transfer process knowledge of high-intensity unit operations so they can be scaled safely
• Be part of the pilot team responsible for material qualification of new chemistry, materials, and equipment
• Use lab and pilot data to guide commercial-scale design and decision-making

What You’ll Bring

• Degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Experience with solid powder processing design and operation
• Experience in one or more unit operations: milling, drying, calcination, mixing, or dosing
• 2+ years of process development and R&D experience, including pilot work
• Strong data analysis skills across internal, external, and different scales (lab, mini-pilot, and pilot), along with technical presentation skills
• Hands-on skill in equipment operation and troubleshooting
• Ability to learn on the job and adapt quickly when the scope changes
• A positive, "do the impossible" attitude and the ability to communicate with peers and stakeholders across engineering disciplines
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment