What are the responsibilities and job description for the Systems Integration Engineer, Body Controls, Vehicle Software position at Tesla Motors, Inc.?
The Body Controls Integration team leads the design, development, and lifecycle ownership of mechatronic systems that define how customers interact with Tesla vehicles. From doors, trunks, windows, and seats to sophisticated lighting systems, mirrors, wipers, and countless sensors and actuators, we translate high-level vehicle behaviors into integrated hardware-software solutions that deliver exceptional reliability and user experience.
You'll be at the forefront of self-driving technology, defining user behaviors and system architectures for our next-generation fully autonomous vehicle platform. Your work shapes how passengers interact with autonomous vehicles; from seamless door entry to ensuring computer vision systems maintain clean lenses for safe navigation. You'll also contribute to scaling our Semi truck program, tackling unique integration challenges in pneumatic systems, trailering behaviors, novel lighting architectures, and high-volume manufacturing requirements.
This is a small, passionate, fast-moving team where you own complete system functionality from concept through production. You'll work side by side with electrical hardware, mechanical, firmware, validation, and manufacturing teams, driving cross-functional alignment and making critical architectural decisions. Join a group of deeply knowledgeable engineers who balance hardware fundamentals, software architecture, and pragmatic engineering judgment to deliver world-class embedded systems.
What You'll Do
- Lead complete system integration from concept through SOP across multiple vehicle programs simultaneously
- Define system requirements, vehicle behaviors, and performance specifications that are measurable, testable, and manufacturable
- Drive architectural decisions for new body controls systems, evaluating communication protocols, control strategies, and hardware-software partitioning
- Collaborate with electrical and mechanical hardware teams to define interfaces, instrumentation points, and validation strategies early in the design cycle
- Lead calibration and tuning efforts for electromechanical systems to meet performance, NVH, and user experience targets
- Bridge firmware development and component validation teams, ensuring testability is designed in from the start
- Define manufacturing self-tests, factory line interactions, and service diagnostics that balance coverage with production constraints
- Manage stakeholder alignment across firmware, hardware, reliability, homologation, service, manufacturing, and product security teams
- Drive readiness reviews, sign-off processes, and post-launch monitoring for production releases
What You'll Bring
- Strong foundation in both hardware and software fundamentals with ability to bridge electrical schematics and firmware architecture
- Experience with embedded communication protocols and ability to make protocol selection decisions based on system requirements
- Understanding of motor control, sensing systems, and electromechanical system behavior
- Ability to read electrical schematics and use lab equipment (oscilloscopes, power supplies, multimeters) for bring-up and troubleshooting
- Familiarity with Embedded C to review firmware and collaborate effectively with developers on implementation details
- Experience defining requirements from high-level vehicle behaviors and making them measurable and testable
- Ability to design simple automation tools, test scripts, or parsers to improve bring-up and validation efficiency
- Bias toward incremental progress, systematic problem-solving, and explicit risk-based decision making
- Experience with safety-critical systems, functional safety concepts, or automotive validation processes, preferred
- Degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience and evidence of exceptional ability
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
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.
Salary : $140,000 - $360,000