Process Engineer, Solar Panel Installation

What to Expect Tesla and Tesla Energy’s Mission
In 2016 Elon Released: The Master Plan, Part Deux. In this plan he stated that to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy, we must integrate energy generation and storage. Doing so would empower individuals to serve as their own utility, in a completely sustainable way. Tesla Energy’s mission is to accomplish that vision by developing and executing a scalable operational process to grow solar generation and storage. We are doing so via high-quality energy products (Solar Roof, Retrofit Solar, and Powerwall) across the United States, using a combination of direct labor, sub-contractors, and partnerships with certified installers and new home builders.
Energy Operations
Tesla delivers energy products to customers via a complex set of related processes, including solar system design, coordination with local building department and utilities, on-site physical construction and inspections, and global manufacturing and supply chain. Successful operations requires process optimization, both within these areas and across them. Successful execution will result in happy customers, high quality products, reduced costs, and short cycle times.
Energy Process and Systems
The Process and Systems team is accountable for transforming business processes into technically enhanced and executable process templates. This is extremely important: Tesla cannot scale energy operations without repeatable processes supported by software. To accomplish this, employees in the department must be subject-matter experts on all aspects of energy operations, with both deep knowledge in certain areas, and broad knowledge about the end-to-end process. We focus on improving operations by learning, hypothesizing, testing, and iterating, with a consistent goal of optimizing yield and cycle times.
Process Engineer, Installation Products
As a Process Engineer for Installation Products, you will be accountable for creating, maintaining, and improving process templates for the end-to-end installation of our products. This will require working cross-functionally across energy operations, for example with solar and powerwall engineering teams, warehousing, quality, software engineering, and others. You will optimize the installation process by conducting time studies, mapping processes, and developing robust documentation. In addition, you will partner closely with operational leaders, constantly evaluating employee productivity and installation cycle times.
What You’ll Do

• Query relational databases (MySQL, SQL Server, GraphQL) to support business decision-making.
• Analyze data available anywhere within the Tesla ecosystem to expose, highlight, and evaluate process trends.
• Use data to track the productivity of hundreds of crews and thousands of installers; you should always be focused on attaining and increasing our theoretical limits.
• Regularly conduct time studies, observing and participating in solar panel installations to validate our process assumptions.
• Work alongside the solar panel installation teams, observing, learning, and teaching.
• Create, improve, and maintain documentation for solar panel installation, working closely with people from training, solar engineering, new product introduction, and operations. This documentation should inspire people to become installers, and should rival Ikea's simplicity and clarity.
• Support the quality team and participate in Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and control plans, both for short-term containment measures and longer-term corrective actions.
• Partner with software, analytics, and data science teams to create useful tools for installers, and improve the ones we currently have.
• Rigorously analyze proposed changes that will impact the installation process: set a high bar, and raise it every chance you get.
• Advocate for changes that improve installation productivity and speed; challenge complexity, churn, and shallow decision-making.
• Communicate loudly and clearly about changes affecting solar panel installers, regardless where the changes originate.
• Promote and maintain a culture and attitude of continuous improvement, working within the Tesla team to make it more efficient, safer and an enjoyable place to work.
• Gather reference data from academic research, business competitors, adjacent Tesla teams, and other sources, to benchmark and evaluate our operational performance.
• Accelerate installations by providing focus, eliminating distractions, and making it easy for installers to execute.
• Partner closely with operations team members to define the end-to-end installation process for Tesla's solar panel product.

What You’ll Bring

• Familiar with Process Failure Mode Effects Analysis.
• Rigorous analytical skills: able to query, analyze, and visualize data. In addition, you must be able to clearly articulate its significance to technical domain experts and others.
• Experience communicating and working with a broad array of business partners (field installers, software developers, leaders, etc).
• Demonstrated talent for implementing process flow improvements.
• Strong problem solving skills, and proficient with structured problem solving techniques such as DMAIC, Ishikawa, Five Why (5W) or Eight Disciplines (8D).
• Reverse-engineer process maps by observing and documenting operational processes.
• Strong written communication skills, able to tailor communication between non-technical and technical audiences.
• Familiar with Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, 5S, and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of residential energy internal systems (Grid, BOLT, Ruler, SQL Runner).
• Expert in the installation process for Tesla's Solar panel product.
• Advanced skills in Excel and SQL; familiar with analytical software and programming languages (eg Matlab, Python, R, etc).

General Employee Attributes

Raises the bar - we need top performers who raise the bar in our organization. When we hire new candidates, they should already be better than most employees in that role. We will often need to do this by being scrappy and challenging the status quo.

Bias for action - must have bias for action and be able to convert thought into execution quickly.

People-centric - value people and their time. Demonstrate empathy and respect.

Adaptive - adapts to change, even when they may not be in favor of it. Someone who is collaborative and willing to take on new assignments and roles to benefit the business.

Develops others - Serves as a multiplier. Makes others around them better by helping them highlight their strengths and work on their weaknesses. Can serve as a mentor to more junior leaders and employees and develop them for roles of greater responsibility.

Innovates - find creative ways to simplify and look at our operation through a new lens. Not caught up on old ways of doing things. Has the ability to adapt and creatively work through problems and solutions that may not be their own.

Thinks like an owner - Willing to take risks, own outcomes, and learn from them. Humble and prioritizes the needs of the business over their own.

Reasons from first principles - Able to identify root causes and use data to drive decisions and change.

Resourceful - practices frugality. Is a scrappy leader who can do more with less.

Curious - seek to understand and show empathy. Have an insatiable thirst for learning and knowledge.

Benefits
Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire:

Aetna PPO and HSA plans > 2 medical 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 Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Aetna medical plan with HSA

Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

LGBTQ+ care concierge services

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

Employee Assistance Program

Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary 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

Expected Compensation
$76,000 - $240,000/annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefits
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.