Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer, Material Flow & Packaging Innovation

Tesla is seeking a top-notch Mechanical Design Engineer to join our Material Flow Engineering team to be the subject matter expert in material handling equipment and drive Packaging Innovation standards for future products and sites. At Tesla, Material Flow considers and engineers the most optimal route from a part’s origin to end destination. This role will drive high-impact changes to part design and manufacturing line equipment, revolutionizing the way we think about part presentation and driving optimization across the entire supply chain. We work on new products and new factories to drive step-function changes in factory design efficiency to reduce product cost. The role also requires extensive experience with material handling equipment in a manufacturing setting, and will serve as a leader to develop optimal equipment recommendations for things such as pallet jacks, dock levelers, dollies, etc. This role requires the expert to optimize and innovate without relying on copying previous design, drawing on deep experience with packaging design and material handling equipment. This role will be based in Austin, TX.

The ideal candidate will excel in a demanding and fast-paced environment where they will work as part of a strong, agile, and highly motivated team to accomplish some of the most ambitious projects being attempted in any industry today. A successful applicant will take pride in their thoroughness, analytical ability, organizational skills, and team mentality. 

• Create part packaging solutions optimized for automation and packing density for new Tesla products, driving high-impact changes to part design and manufacturing line equipment
• Collaborate with Product Design and Material Flow Engineering teams to populate Plan for Every Part (PFEP) Packaging input and optimize part design for inbound logistics and automation pick-ability
• Establish best practices for automation packaging and maintain a single source of truth on lineside packaging handling requirements. Focus should be on modular, off-the-shelf technologies to reduce design duration and enhance scalability
• Develop concepts and standards for material handling equipment, including forklifts, tuggers, warehouse racking, dock levelers, lineside automation and AGVs in coordination with manufacturing, material flow, and packaging teams
• Work closely with purchasing to develop RFQs for vendors for new equipment purchases. Requires presenting out detailed justification for specific equipment purchases to management based on technical and financial analysis
• Maintain standard library of equipment, including CAD drawings and specifications
• Work closely with the layout and material flow design teams to develop solutions to new material handling challenges

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, or Packaging Engineering or equivalent
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in mechanical design, or a combination of mechanical design and highly automated manufacturing. Experience should include designing mechanical components and systems from concept through production validation
• Extensive knowledge of Packaging Design and material handling equipment along with the challenges that come with them in a manufacturing environment
• Prefer in-depth technical knowledge of prototyping, manufacturing, and assembly processes
• Familiarity with automation equipment and fixture requirements. Must understand the integration of equipment design into existing or new systems
• Experience with SolidWorks, CATIA or a similar modeling software. Experience drafting engineering drawings and conducting tolerance stack-up analysis (GD&T bonus)
• Exemplary verbal and written communication skills
• Must be self-motivated and able to manage multiple parallel path projects
• Able to work under pressure while managing competing demands and tight deadlines