Sr. Mechanical Design Simulation Engineer

Tesla's Infrastructure Design team leads the development of innovative solutions for complex R&D and manufacturing facilities across the Bay Area and beyond. We specialize in creating sophisticated infrastructure systems that power next-generation research and production environments.

As a Mechanical Design Simulation Engineer, you will work closely with Mechanical design engineers to optimize designs and reduce costs. This role requires expertise in both technical leadership and creative problem solving in order to break down problems to their most basic components and quickly iterate on wide range of possible solutions. This role will move us beyond conservative design practices to achieve significant cost savings, increase system performance, and ensure superior safety and regulatory compliance using high-fidelity CFD modeling.

• Lead the development, validation, and maintenance of high-fidelity, steady-state, and transient Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models for complex, multi-physics laboratory systems
• Optimize the design of high-plume lab exhaust stacks and general lab HVAC systems to ensure ACGIH-compliant capture velocity and superior containment while minimizing fan and duct sizing (reducing CapEx and OpEx)
• Analyze complex air distribution, conditioning, and thermal uniformity within vehicle environmental and thermal test cells
• Establish robust correlation and validation practices, comparing CFD results with experimental test data (e.g., pitot tube traverses, thermal sensor arrays) to ensure model predictive accuracy
• Pioneer and standardize best practices and internal templates for all CFD and thermal-fluid analysis across the engineering team
• Partner with the Programming Engineer on the ID3 team to develop custom automation tools, optimization algorithms, and scripting (Python, MATLAB, etc.) to streamline the CFD workflow, reduce analysis turnaround time, and integrate results directly into design tools
• Utilize advanced techniques like Design of Experiments (DOE) and parametric optimization driven by simulation data to provide clear, actionable design recommendations that drive down system costs and energy usage
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert, providing expert consulting to design engineers, design managers, and research scientists/engineers
• Mentor and technically guide mid-level and junior engineers in the application of thermal-fluid principles and CFD software to grow internal capabilities
• Translate complex simulation data into clear, concise, and executive-ready reports and presentations, justifying design choices and capital investment

• Master's Degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline with a specialization in fluid dynamics or heat transfer, or the equivalent in experience
• 10+ years of professional experience utilizing CFD in an industrial or advanced R&D environment, with a strong preference for experience in HVAC, critical ventilation, or lab/facility design
• Expert-level proficiency with commercial CFD software packages such as ANSYS Fluent, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, or OpenFOAM
• Proven experience with one or more of the following specialized areas: High-fidelity Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) modeling, Species transport, fire/combustion modeling, thermal runaway phenomena, or HVAC systems, indoor air quality (IAQ), and contaminant dispersion analysis.
• Strong proficiency in scripting languages for pre/post-processing and automation (e.g., Python, MATLAB)
• Experience correlating and validating CFD models with physical test data from vehicle and battery testing environments, or other similar experiments
• Familiarity with building codes, T24, ASHRAE, and ACGIH guidelines
• Experience with CAD/Geometry manipulation and meshing tools (e.g., ANSYS SpaceClaim, HyperMesh, ANSa) and integrating geomotries from Revit, AutoCAD, Bluebeam, Microsoft Office Suite and Building Information Modeling (BIM)
• Experience running large simulations on clusters, parallel processing setup, and knowing when a detailed CFD model is overkill vs. when it's essential
• Communication skills - can clearly present results to non-technical stakeholders

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.