Materials Engineer, Hardware Development

Role details

What to Expect

As a Staff Materials Engineer at Tesla, you will lead the team that develops, qualifies, and industrializes board-level and electronics packaging materials— like PCB stack-up materials, encapsulants and structural/underfill epoxies, and thermal interface materials (thermal pastes, greases, gels, pads, and related TIMs). These materials directly govern electrical integrity, mechanical reliability, thermal path performance, and factory throughput for vehicle, energy, and compute electronics.

You will set technical direction for formulation evaluation, application process windows, reliability qualification, and supplier scale-up—while remaining a hands-on authority who can read a DMA curve, challenge a Tg/CTE stack-up, debug pump-out or voiding on a TIM line, and coach Staff-level engineers. Hire and develop talent, align multi-program priorities, and ensure materials decisions meet Tesla’s bar for performance, reliability, cost, and manufacturability at volume.

What You'll Do* Lead and grow a Materials Engineering group focused on PCB materials, epoxy systems, and thermal pastes/TIMs: hiring, performance management, career development, and mentorship through Staff / Senior Staff levels

• Set roadmaps for PCB materials (laminates, prepregs, RCC/coverlay, solder mask, surface finishes, high-Tg/low-Dk/Df and high-reliability constructions) aligned to SI/PI, thermal, CAF/CAF-resistance, and HDI/flex-rigid design needs
• Drive development and qualification of epoxy chemistries used in electronics assembly—underfill, glob-top, dam-and-fill, edge bond, conformal-adjacent encapsulants, and structural adhesives—including cure kinetics, rheology, adhesion, and rework strategy
• Own thermal interface material development and selection: thermal pastes/greases, gels, phase-change materials, and soft pads—optimizing conductivity, bond-line thickness control, pump-out/dry-out resistance, electrical isolation where required, and dispense/stencil processability
• Translate application requirements into material specs, call-outs, approved materials lists, and design guidelines with EE, Mechanical, Thermal, PCB Design, and Manufacturing Engineering
• Define and execute reliability and process qualifications (TC, THB, power/thermal cycling, reflow multiple-pass, CAF, SIR, migration, outgassing, aging); connect failure modes to formulation, filler morphology, cure state, or board/process interactions
• Partner with SMT/board assembly, module, and power electronics manufacturing on dispense, jetting, stencil, lamination, and cure process windows; drive DOE, SPC, and scrap/rework reduction attributable to materials
• Lead supplier development for laminate, resin, epoxy, and TIM vendors: audits, incoming QC (viscosity, particle size, thermal impedance, ionic purity), PCN control, dual-source, and cost-down without reliability regression
• Prioritize FA and root-cause for delamination, pad cratering, conductive anodic filament, underfill fillet cracks, TIM voiding/pump-out, and thermal path degradation; ensure rigorous characterization (DMA, TMA, DSC, TGA, FTIR, rheometry, thermal impedance, cross-section, C-SAM)
• Establish group KPIs (qual cycle time, FA turnaround, thermal performance entitlement, materials cost-down, line scrap reduction) and represent materials risk/opportunity in program and executive forums

What You'll Bring* Degree in Materials Science & Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience. M.S. or Ph.D. strongly preferred (polymers, composites, or electronic materials focus ideal)

• 12+ years in electronic materials, PCB materials, polymer/epoxy formulation or application engineering, and/or thermal interface materials in automotive, computing, power electronics, aerospace, or high-volume consumer electronics
• 5+ years leading engineers or technical programs with proven ability to hire, coach, and retain strong materials talent, including senior individual contributors
• Deep hands-on expertise in at least two of: PCB laminates/stack-ups and board-level reliability; epoxy underfill/encapsulant formulation or process; thermal paste/TIM development and thermal path characterization—with working fluency across all three
• Strong command of structure–property–processing for filled polymers and composites: rheology, cure kinetics, Tg/CTE/modulus, filler networks, adhesion, moisture uptake, and aging/degradation mechanisms
• Proven track record industrializing materials from lab evaluation to high-volume SMT or module lines—robust specs, process windows, supplier controls, and factory-ready dispense/lamination/cure methods
• Fluency with relevant characterization and FA methods (thermal impedance/ASTM or in-situ TIM test, DMA/DSC/TGA, rheometry, SIR/CAF, cross-section, acoustic microscopy) and the judgment to critically review data, not only delegate it
• Familiarity with IPC standards (e.g., IPC-4101, IPC-CC-830 adjacent practices, assembly reliability guidance), AEC or automotive electronics expectations, and PCN/change control discipline
• Exceptional specification writing and cross-functional influence with Design, Thermal, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain; executive-ready communication without loss of technical accuracy
• Staff/Senior Staff caliber technical judgment plus people leadership—set the scientific bar on PCB/epoxy/TIM decisions, personally unblock critical path issues when needed, and scale impact through the team, and spend time on SMT and module lines and at material suppliers (travel across Gigafactory and vendor sites as required)

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

$160,000 - $295,800/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 is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Tesla is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.