Equipment Engineer, Tabless (m/w/d) - Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg

Overview

Tesla is looking for a highly driven Equipment Engineer to participate in the design and development of innovative automation equipment lines within the Assembly process. This role focuses particularly on advanced cell manufacturing equipment for Tesla’s cutting-edge battery cells, one of the company’s most intricate components. The position is based at Tesla's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Grünheide, Germany, offering a dynamic and fast-paced environment centered around critical subsystems of revolutionary products.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide engineering assistance to production and maintenance teams as necessary.
• Perform validation and characterization of current and new equipment and fixtures before their integration onto the production floor.
• Lead initiatives to enhance the safety and ergonomic design of production equipment in compliance with or exceeding regulatory standards and best practices.
• Collaborate effectively with external equipment suppliers to improve design and functionality.
• Partner with controls engineers to diagnose and resolve process issues involving PLCs, HMIs, or tool management software, implementing changes and improvements as needed.
• Develop detailed manufacturing instructions for new processes and equipment operation; train technicians and operators accordingly.
• Create preventive maintenance protocols and maintain comprehensive spare parts lists to optimize overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Debug, fine-tune, and optimize automated processes to improve cycle times and define hand tools for manual assembly tasks.
• Apply structured problem-solving methods including Root Cause Analysis techniques such as Design of Experiments (DoE), Five Why analysis (5W), Eight Disciplines (8D), and Ishikawa diagrams.
• Lead continuous improvement projects based on Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) and Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) risk assessments.
• Facilitate machine integrations with the plant-wide Manufacturing Execution System (MES).

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent proven expertise.
• Minimum of three years hands-on experience as a mechanical or manufacturing engineer working on automation or the development and troubleshooting of electromechanical and software systems.
• Proven experience in scaling up equipment within manufacturing environments, encompassing automation machinery, web handling systems, laser welding, electromechanical system design, PLC programming (preferably TwinCAT), motion control, and data acquisition.
• Competence in designing mechanical equipment, tooling, and fixtures using CAD software such as SolidWorks or AutoCAD; Catia skills are advantageous.
• Ability to interpret mechanical layouts, tooling blueprints, and pneumatic and electrical schematic diagrams.
• Experience with vision systems, including Cognex, Keyence, or Mantis, is preferred.
• Fundamental knowledge of laser welding processes is required; practical experience with laser welding equipment is a bonus.
• Willingness to support production operations on weekends as needed.