Sr. Test Engineer, Energy Reliability
Tesla · Palo Alto, CA · Yesterday
On-siteEngineering$92k–$196k/yrFull-time
What To Expect At Tesla Energy, delivering reliable energy products at scale requires rigorous validation and deep hands-on expertise in medium-voltage systems. As a Senior Reliability Test Engineer focused on Medium Voltage, leading reliability test strategy, automated test development, and hands-on validation for Tesla’s residential and industrial energy products. We are seeking a candidate with strong, proven experience in medium-voltage installation and commissioning and complete familiarity with various types of MV connections, bushings, wiring, terminations, and acceptance testing. You will combine this practical expertise with test automation and reliability engineering to ensure products are robust from prototypes through global deployment. What You'll Do Lead and execute medium-voltage installation, commissioning, and acceptance testing for power electronics systems, assemblies, and integrated cabinetsDesign, build, and maintain scalable automated test frameworks (Python/Pytest, LabVIEW/TestStand) for MV power electronics, with emphasis on dielectric, insulation, connection, and termination of integrity testsOwn end-to-end Automated Test Equipment development — from instrument driver abstraction to test orchestration, data capture, and report generation Develop and automate medium-voltage test sequences including insulation resistance, hi-pot, partial discharge (PD) detection, power factor/tan-delta, and bushing integrity tests at the device, assembly, and cabinet level; select and integrate appropriate HV/MV instrumentation (PD couplers, capacitive dividers, differential HV probes, PD analyzers)Design reusable, modular test libraries for hardware bench testing and production line screening — enabling teams to spin up new test coverage quickly Integrate test suites into CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions) so every firmware or hardware revision is automatically validated against a reliability baseline before it reaches review, and automate HALT, ALT, and burn-in sequences — sequencing climate/vibration chambers, power supplies, and measurement instruments as a single orchestrated system Build automated data acquisition pipelines feeding directly into reliability dashboards to expedite lifetime reliability estimates, degradation trends, and pass/fail analytics refreshed in real time Apply ML-assisted anomaly detection to identify unit outliers during production screening and predict failure signatures before they reach the field Continuously drive design risk burndown to ensure product reliability and durability; perform reliability testing for industrial and residential energy power converters Determine component and system-level test solutions that optimize product reliability and durability through DFMEA-based risk mitigations, resource planning, and program scheduling; facilitate failure analysis to understand root causes and drive resolution for failures originating in testing What You'll Bring Degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline3-10years of hands-on experience in power electronics hardware design, design validation, hardware testing, mechanical system reliability, and durability testingExperience working safely with high voltage systems; familiarity in relevance to IEEE/IEC safety standardsHands-on experience with high-voltage test disciplines — partial discharge measurement, insulation/dielectric testing, transformer design validation, and bushing characterization; experience selecting and operating HV instrumentation (PD detectors, HV dividers, AC/DC hipot sets, LCR meters at HV)Knowledge of programming in scripting languages for test automation and data analysis/post-processing. Experience with test automation and data analysis using scripting languages (Python strongly preferred; Pytest, Robot Framework, LabVIEW/TestStand highly valued) preferredExperience specifying sensors for test instrumentation andutilizingdata acquisition systemsExperience proactively owning and deliveringtest engineering projectswithin accelerated validation timelinesExperience working safely with high voltageequipmentProven ability to develop reliability and durability test setups, including environmental, mechanical, and electrical stress testing, highlypreferred. Preferred to have experience of common automotive communication protocols (CAN, Ethernet) Benefits Compensation and Benefits Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire: Medical plans > 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 Accounts) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High-Deductible 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 (90 day waiting period) Employee Assistance Program Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions, Accrued hours for Hourly 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 $91,600 - $195,600/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. , Tesla