What are the responsibilities and job description for the Project Engineer, Lithium Refinery position at Tesla?
What to Expect
What You'll Do
What You'll Bring
Compensation and Benefits
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.
Tesla’s Gulf Coast Lithium Refinery is seeking an experienced Project Engineer to provide technical engineering leadership in the design, execution, and commissioning of small-to-medium capital projects, equipment upgrades, and process modifications for our novel flowsheet. This role owns the engineering deliverables that ensure inherent safety, mechanical integrity, and long-term reliability of assets converting spodumene concentrate to battery-grade lithium hydroxide in a fast-paced and innovative environment while directly supporting the Maintenance, Reliability, Process Controls, and Process Safety teams.
What You'll Do
- Lead the full engineering scope of capital projects and site modifications—from conceptual design through detailed engineering, procurement support, construction oversight, and startup—applying first-principles thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, fluid mechanics, and materials science to optimize pressure leach autoclaves, calciners, pressure filters, crystallizers, slurry pumps, and solids handling systems
- Develop, review, and approve process and mechanical deliverables including P&IDs, equipment datasheets, piping specifications, relief system calculations, and hydraulic models to ensure compliance with ASME, API, and regulatory requirements
- Lead or support Management of Change (MOC) and Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR) processes, performing technical risk assessments and verifying layers of protection in alignment with the site PSM program (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119)
- Provide field engineering support during project installation, outage execution, and commissioning, resolving design or installation issues in real time to minimize schedule impact and ensure post-startup performance targets (MTBF, availability, efficiency) are achieved
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Reliability Engineering, Process Safety, Procurement & Materials, and Operations to integrate predictive maintenance features, corrosion monitoring, and control system enhancements into project designs
- Conduct technical evaluations of vendor packages, perform design reviews, and apply root-cause analysis to drive lessons-learned into future projects, focusing on total cost of ownership and OpEx reduction
- Track project engineering KPIs (design quality, change order rate, and commissioning success) and contribute to continuous improvement of project execution standards and templates
What You'll Bring
- Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent Experience in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline from an ABET-accredited program
- 5 years of progressive project engineering experience in chemical processing, hydrometallurgy, mineral processing, or refining
- Demonstrated proficiency in developing and reviewing process/mechanical deliverables, performing hydraulic and relief calculations, and applying codes/standards (ASME, API 510/570/580, NFPA)
- Working knowledge of CMMS/ERP systems, project management tools (MS Project or equivalent), and first-principles engineering software (Aspen, AutoCAD Plant 3D, or equivalent)
- Proven ability to deliver safe, on-time, and on-budget technical solutions in a PSM-regulated, commissioning-to-steady-state refinery environment
- Strong analytical, communication, and collaboration skills with a passion for applying rigorous engineering fundamentals to real-world lithium refinery challenges
Compensation and Benefits
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
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.