Engineering Technician - Drive Unit, Powertrain

Job Description

Tesla is seeking an energetic and highly motivated Engineering Technician to join the Drive Unit team. You will be part of a versatile team consisting of equipment, controls and process engineers that sustain daily production, execute OEE improvements and ramp new lines. You will have the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally by working with multiple departments across the factory.

Job Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot to root cause across mechanical, pneumatic, electrical, and controls domains, using PLC logic and HMI faults to isolate the failure; support controls debug including I/O checkout and forcing, vision system setup and teaching, servo/motion, and safety circuit validation
• Fabricate and rapid-prototype parts and fixtures (machining, welding, 3D printing) for corrective actions and continuous improvement activities such as workstation ergonomics, cycle time reduction, and cost savings
• Support engineering trials and equipment/process qualifications with disciplined change point management and task tracking (PCAs, Jiras); red-line drawings, schematics, and BOMs to as-built
• Collaborate across quality, production, spares, maintenance, and vendor teams; triage and track production issues to resolution
• Work side-by-side with engineers and technicians to install, commission, and debug production equipment from crate to production release — mechanical build, electrical installation, and controls bring-up
• Perform mechanical installation and assembly per 2D drawings and GD&T (mounting frames, actuators, guarding, tooling, sensors, pneumatics); execute precision alignment and leveling using dial indicators, levels, laser tools, and metrology
• Route, pull, label, and terminate wiring, sensors, cables, and safety circuits per electrical schematics and panel layouts

Job Requirements

• 3+ years hands-on installing, commissioning, or maintaining automated production equipment
• Fluent reading mechanical 2D drawings with GD&T, electrical schematics, panel layouts, and pneumatic diagrams, and able to translate them into physical build
• Strong hand, power, and machine shop tool proficiency (mill, lathe, band saw, drill press); comfortable with torque specs, fastener standards, and precision measurement tools (calipers, micrometers, height gauges, dial indicators); experience performing alignment procedures such as flatness, parallelism, concentricity, and coupling alignment
• Basic controls knowledge required: PLC fundamentals (navigate logic, monitor tags, trend, force I/O, interpret faults), vision, servo/motion, and machine safety; experience with Siemens (TIA Portal), Beckhoff (TwinCAT), or Allen-Bradley/Rockwell
• Electrical install competency: terminations, crimping, conduit/tray, sensor wiring, continuity/voltage checks; LOTO, arc flash, and low-voltage safety awareness
• Strong mechanical aptitude with structured problem-solving and root cause analysis; self-motivated and comfortable working independently on the floor in a high-stress, shifting-priority environment; working knowledge of CAD/SolidWorks, Microsoft Office, and Jira, PCA, Flux, MOS, Confluence or equivalent
• Ability to sit, stand, and walk 10 hours, lift 10–20 lbs regularly, bend/twist, work at heights, and climb ladders/stairs; wear an air-purifying respirator as needed