Manufacturing Controls Development Engineer, Optimus SCADA & Data Collection

What to Expect

Tesla is standing up Optimus manufacturing at Gigafactory Texas (GFTX) in Austin. This role owns the factory's data path: from the PLC to the operator, from a live machine to a decision.

You will write Rust services that collect and serve industrial data, build Ignition HMI and SCADA that people can actually use under pressure, program PLCs so the data contract is correct at the source, and design SQL that stays fast as the line scales. The bar, in order: reliability, performance, ease of use. If those three conflict, reliability wins.

You will work on the floor with controls, manufacturing engineering, and operations as equipment lands and ramps. It is not a panel-design, robot-programming, or EPLAN role. You make sure the data leaving the cell is correct, complete, and usable.

What You'll Do

• Design, build, and operate Ignition SCADA and HMI for Optimus manufacturing: line overview, equipment state, alarms, and operator workflows that stay simple when the line is not
• Develop and maintain Rust services for industrial data collection, buffering, and delivery. Own latency, backpressure, and failure behavior. A quiet, correct path beats a clever one that drops data
• Program and review PLC logic that publishes a clean data contract (machine state, counts, timers, process results) to SCADA and downstream systems. Structured, documented, reusable code
• Design SQL schemas and queries for operational and historical data. Keep reads fast. Keep writes honest. Do not paper over a bad contract with a view
• Instrument new and existing equipment so operations, quality, and engineering can trust what they see: availability, downtime, counts, process traces. One source of truth
• Partner with line controls engineers on data interfaces during design, install, and ramp. You do not own electrical cabinets or robot cells; you own the data leaving them
• Debug across the stack when the screen is wrong: PLC tag, network, service, database, or HMI. Find the actual fault, not a nearby one
• Set and enforce data and HMI conventions so the next line does not invent a new dialect
• Support commissioning and ramp on the shop floor. Some travel for vendor sites or sister factories as needed

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechatronics, or equivalent work experience
• 3-5 years building and supporting industrial software in a manufacturing environment (SCADA, HMI, PLC, or plant data systems)
• Demonstrated PLC programming (Siemens TIA Portal preferred) with structured, maintainable code and clean interfaces to higher-level systems
• Hands-on Ignition, or a comparable industrial SCADA/HMI platform you have actually deployed (WinCC, FactoryTalk, iFIX). Screenshots are not experience
• Production experience in Rust, or a systems language you have shipped (C, C++, or Go) and the discipline to write Rust as the service language. We care that you understand memory, concurrency, and failure
• Strong SQL: schema design, indexing, query performance. Time-series or historian experience is a plus
• Comfort on the shop floor: reading a live PLC, walking a line, talking to operators and technicians
• Able to work under competing deadlines without shipping fragile systems. A smaller reliable surface beats a large one that lies
• Clear written and verbal communication. You will write for operators, controls engineers, and software peers

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.