Battery Cell Vendor Manufacturing Engineer, Seoul, Korea

What to Expect

Tesla's Battery Cells are the foundation of every product we make. We innovate at the intersection of cutting-edge cell architecture, high-volume manufacturing, and uncompromising performance. Our fast-paced environment demands passion, agility, and a team-first mindset. Join a team of industry experts and visionaries shaping the future of sustainable energy.

Tesla’s Vendor Manufacturing Engineering (VME) team drives critical supplier tooling, process development, and industrialization for battery cell components. As a VME Engineer, you’ll ensure suppliers meet Tesla’s quality, capacity, and timeline requirements through hands-on collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and rapid problem-solving. You’ll act as the bridge between Tesla’s internal Cell Manufacturing team and global suppliers, optimizing processes from design to mass production.

What You’ll Do

• Supplier Assessments: Support the supplier assessment process for new supplier sourcing, ensuring that suppliers can meet Tesla component requirements and specifications for process, equipment, packaging and metrology, while complying with Tesla’s quality, reliability, and performance standards.
• Requirement Specification Development: Author and develop process, equipment, packaging, metrology and FAI/SPC inspection requirements, including written specs and required supporting 2D/3D drawings/CAD.
• Supplier Process Development: Lead tooling and equipment design, PFMEAs, and process capability validation at suppliers to meet Tesla’s CTQ (Critical to Quality) requirements.
• New Product Introduction (NPI): Oversee and support supplier industrialization development and installation for mechanical components including, equipment buyoff at vendors, Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), Fault Injection Testing (FI), capacity analysis, metrology validation and correlation, and other data driven phase-gate approvals.
• Tool Validation: Support Tesla tool POP development and validation at tooling vendors with the Tabless – “Winder” team including conducting onsite Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with suppliers, machine vendors, Design, Cell Assembly, Quality, and Procurement to ensure DFM (Design for Manufacturability) and seamless component integration and ramp (DFX).
• Problem Solving: Resolve supplier issues through root-cause analysis, FA/CA, and corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Additionally, support the resolution of internal customer process issues utilizing these same skillsets, flowing down data driven change requirements as needed.
• Continuous Improvement: Support and guide suppliers to develop optimized processing, material flow, packaging, and handling processes to enhance efficiency and quality.
• Compliance: Ensure adherence to ISO 9001/IATF 16949 standards and Tesla’s manufacturing protocols.

What You’ll Bring

• Education: BS in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Experience: 5+ years in Manufacturing Process Engineering, Automation Engineering or Supplier Industrialization, preferably in automotive or high-volume component production.

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in GD&T, Tolerance Analysis, SPC, MSA, FMEA / PFMEA, Simulation, CAD, statistical process control JMP capability analysis (Cp / Cpk), and control plans.

• Knowledge of metrology systems (inline/offline).

• Experience with electromechanical system design, build and troubleshooting.

• In-depth knowledge of lean manufacturing principles.

• Experience with equipment buy-offs and process capability validation.

• Leadership: Proven ability to manage cross-functional projects and drive supplier accountability.

• Communication: Exceptional technical writing and verbal skills to simplify complex issues.

• Travel: Willingness to travel 35-40% (domestic/international).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Background in battery cell or precision component manufacturing.
• Experience with automation, high-speed assembly processes and/or robotics equipment.
• Experience with Contract Manufacturing workflows and management.