CAE Engineer

What To Expect

The Tesla Robotics Team designs and builds humanoid bi-pedal robots (Optimus) to perform tasks that are boring, repetitive, and dangerous for humans. As a CAE Engineer, you will guide the design of sensors and structural components using high-fidelity FE models grounded in sound engineering principles Working closely with mechanical, electrical, controls, software, and manufacturing teams, you’ll analyze and optimize designs, challenge traditional CAE methods, and pioneer more efficient, accurate approaches. This role places you at the forefront of critical design and engineering decisions, shaping a robust and reliable humanoid robot that has never been executed before.

What You'll Do

• Develop and analyze comprehensive Finite Element (FE) models for Optimus, from individual components to the full system
• Conduct static, dynamic, structural and MBD simulations to evaluate and validate the performance against key requirements for strength, stiffness, durability and sensing
• Build and refine simulation workflows to assess performance across diverse operating scenarios, automate processes, documentation, and tools to improve efficiency, accuracy, and repeatability
• Provide design guidance to world-class engineering teams, enabling data-driven product decisions
• Collaborate with Test Engineering to design and validate experiments, correlate test data with simulations, and enhance predictive modeling capabilities
• Establish and maintain modeling standards, methods, and best practices for current and future programs
• Material characterization and advanced modeling of structural and sensing components
• Plan and execute large-scale DOEs, creating ML driven surrogate models to extract insights to drive key design decisions

What You'll Bring

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Strong foundation in Engineering Mechanics, Computational Mechanics, Material Science, and Finite Element Theory and applications
• Demonstrated ability to guide structural, sensing, thermal, and mechanism designs through CAE, from concept to mass production, across robotics, automotive, and consumer electronics
• Expertise in building high-fidelity FE models at component, sub-system, and full-system levels
• Proficiency in linear and non-linear static, dynamic and modal simulations and experience developing multi-physics simulation workflows (e.g., thermal-mechanical, mechanical-electrical)
• Advanced knowledge in material characterization and modeling, including nonlinear elasticity, viscoelasticity, creep, and strain-rate dependent plasticity in Metals, Plastics, Polymers and Adhesives
• Proficiency in CAE Tools such as BETA CAE, LS-DYNA, Abaqus, ADAMS, COMSOL, OPTISTRUCT, Design Life, FE Safe
• Strong programming and data analysis skills in MATLAB, Python, or equivalent
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams

, Tesla