Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Best Practices, Chemistry, Communication Skills, Computational Engineering, Cross-Functional, Disability Insurance, Employee Assistance Plan, Health Plan, Leadership, Manufacturing, Material Science, Materials Engineering, Memory Hardware, Mentoring, Orthodontics, Payroll Tax, Peripheral Vascular Disease, Physics, Process Engineering, Research & Development (R&D), Root Cause Analysis, Semiconductor Manufacturing, Semiconductors, Stock Purchase Plans, Team Lead/Manager, Technical Leadership, Thin Film, Vision Plan, Willing to Travel, X-Ray Diffraction
Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI are partnering to launch the most epic chip-building effort ever - combining logic, memory, and advanced packaging under one roof. Terafab will close the gap between today's chip production and the future's demand - a future among the stars.
The team is seeking a highly experienced Materials Engineer to serve as the senior technical authority on semiconductor and thin-film materials development. In this role, you will lead materials innovation from concept through high-volume manufacturing, defining strategy for materials selection, characterization, and qualification across thin-film deposition platforms. You will work cross-functionally with process engineering, device design, and reliability teams, translating fundamental materials understanding into product-level solutions.
This is a high-impact technical leadership role requiring deep expertise in semiconductor materials science and a track record of driving complex programs from research to production. This position requires up to 50% domestic travel.
- Define and execute the materials engineering roadmap for semiconductor thin-film development, ensuring alignment with product and technology milestones
- Lead root-cause analysis and failure investigations involving thin-film deposition, interface chemistry, and device-level degradation mechanisms
- Serve as the primary technical resource for materials selection, process-structure-property relationships, and qualification of new material systems
- Mentor and develop a team of materials engineers and characterization specialists; establish best practices for materials characterization workflows
- Drive cross-functional collaboration with process engineering, device integration, and reliability teams to accelerate development cycles
- Evaluate and introduce emerging materials platforms (complex oxides, nitrides, novel dielectrics) to address technology scaling challenges
- Degree in Materials Science & Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or a closely related field, or equivalent experience
- 12+ years of experience in semiconductor materials engineering, thin-film technology, or advanced materials R&D
- Demonstrated expertise in multiple characterization techniques (TEM, XRD, XPS, SIMS, AFM, ellipsometry)
- Deep knowledge of thin-film deposition processes (PVD, CVD, PECVD, ALD, sputtering) and their impact on microstructure and performance
- Proven ability to lead technical teams and drive complex, multi-stakeholder projects from research to production
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to distill complex materials science into actionable engineering guidance
- Experience with Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) frameworks or computational materials screening is preferred
- Familiarity with semiconductor fab environments and high-volume manufacturing constraints is preferred
- Ability to travel up to 50%
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