Lead Controls Engineer, Cell Formation

The 4680 Cell is one of the most complex and challenging components designed and manufactured at Tesla. This is an exciting opportunity to build a world-class manufacturing facility right here in Austin. Tesla is a demanding and fast-paced environment where you will work on a critical subsystem of incredibly exciting products. Tesla is seeking a highly motivated Controls Engineer to support the ramp of the factory and contribute to the design of robust and stable equipment. This Engineer will be at the forefront of controls technology and will be responsible for the advanced cell manufacturing equipment that produces Tesla's cutting-edge batteries. The Controls Engineer will also work with cross-functional teams throughout the entire lifecycle of the product and processes.They will work closely with Quality and Production to bring the new product from initial design, through prototype development, and finally into full production.

• Ramp manufacturing lines including mechanical automation equipment, robots, electromechanical systems, PLCs, motion controls, and vision systems
• Program state machines for complex processes which involve conveyor processing, multi-station parallel processing, stamping machine, data acquisition, and PID control
• Manage Safety standards (ANSI/RIA15.06, OSHA), implementing controls reliable safety systems for safeguarding robots, gantries, conveyors, and other high-volume manufacturing equipment
• Define and manage a methodology for maintaining PLC code structure and backups
• Design robust, stable, fault-tolerant systems with error handling and recovery
• Train technicians on the maintenance and repair of your controls systems
• Manage electrical cabinet builds, field wiring, pneumatic and fluid plumbing
• Participate in early-stage equipment concept development, balancing product specs, process needs, layout complexity, cost, and lead time
• Mentor and guide a small team of Controls Engineers, fostering technical growth, problem-solving skills, and ownership
• Coordinate team workload, timelines, and deliverables across multiple concurrent projects

• Degree or Equivalent Experience in an engineering discipline
• 7+ years of experience as a hands-on mechanical/manufacturing controls Engineer working on automation and/or electromechanical systems
• Advanced proficiency in programming industrial equipment in all IEC 61131-3 languages with a focus on structured text and ladder logic
• Experience with Automated Warehousing Experience implementing and maintaining a database
• Experience with Siemens TIA Portal, Beckhoff, Rockwell etc. Safety PLCs (Siemens, Allen Bradley, Beckhoff etc.)
• Human Machine Interface (HMI / GUI - AB Panelview, Ignition, TIA/WinCC, B&R, etc.)
• Field bus Networks (EtherCAT, ProfiNet, ProfiBud, Modbus, Powerlink, RS232, etc.) and OPC UA. PLCs, SCADA, MES, and other systems
• Proficiency in selecting/ integrating appropriate circuit protectors, wire and cable, sensors, safety hardware, PLC hardware, remote I/O, VFD, and servo systems
• Preferred experience in programming Cartesian, SCARA and Articulated robots (Fanuc, Kuka, etc.)
• Preferred experience with Vision systems (Cognex, Keyence, etc.)