New

Fault Response Engineer, Drive Systems

Tesla Motors, Inc.
112,000 - 168,000 USD
paid holidays, flex time, 401(k)
United States, California, Palo Alto
Nov 21, 2025
What to Expect The Drive System Engineering team (drive unit + inverter) is looking for a world class Fault Response Engineer. You will use your system-level vehicle understanding to develop new fault response strategies and improve the real-world performance of all Tesla Drive System products, including autonomous vehicles and Semi truck. You will conduct hardware tests to characterize and improve the fault handling of our drive units. You will manage large-scale data analysis to track failures in Tesla's fleet and lead the company to effectively reduce these failures. What You'll Do Generate test plans to both validate requirements and characterize power electronics fault response of early prototypes, mass production units and future products Develop and implement new controls to optimize system level interactions Perform component teardowns after destructive tests to analyze and understand failure mechanisms, and help recreate field failures for investigation Lead planning and execution of abuse and fault response validation tests for power electronics such as shorted switch tests, overvoltage, conductive fluid exposure, over temp, loss of LV or HV Implement and manage custom data analytics to track and identify failure modes across our global fleet Track fleet performance of fault response, recreate the field incidents in the test lab and drive countermeasures Adhere to and enforce strict safety protocols for handling hazardous materials and high-voltage systems, and meticulously document test setups and results What You'll Bring Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or equivalent experience Strong experience in simulation, data analysis, and unit testing with Python and MATLAB/Simulink Experience with SQL and large-scale data analysis preferred Working knowledge of C/C++ a plus Experience with environment management (git, Docker, virtual environments) a plus Experience with instrumentation and data acquisition systems a plus Experience creating and executing design validation plans and test methods to validate performance requirements Working knowledge of power electronics systems like traction inverters a strong plus Working knowledge of motors and gearboxes a plus Compensation and Benefits Benefits Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire: Aetna PPO and HSA plans > 2 medical plan options with $0 payroll deduction Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution Company Paid (Health Savings Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Aetna medical plan with HSA Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) 401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits Company paid Basic Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance Employee Assistance Program Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions), and Paid Holidays Back-up childcare and parenting support resources Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs Tesla Babies program Commuter benefits Employee discounts and perks program Expected Compensation $112,000 - $168,000/annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefits Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.