Tesla · 19 hours ago
HVAC Controls Engineer, Vehicle Controls
Palo Alto, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Mid Level
$140K/yr - $300K/yrTesla is a leading electric vehicle manufacturer, and they are seeking an HVAC Controls Engineer for their Vehicle Controls team. The role involves designing and implementing algorithms for cabin climate control and occupant thermal management while collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance customer experience.
AutomotiveElectric VehicleEnergyManufacturingRenewable EnergyTransportation
Responsibilities
Research and develop estimation and control algorithms for thermal management of the cabin HVAC, auxiliary devices like autopilot camera, seat, steering wheel, etc., to deliver the best customer-experience in terms of performance, range, NVH, and cabin thermal comfort
Develop control-oriented system models and use them to develop and refine control strategies and drive their implementation
Work closely with Firmware, Integration and Hardware Engineers to implement, test, and debug these algorithms
Work collaboratively with Mechanical, Electrical, and Firmware Engineers to define control system capability and establish actuation/sensing requirements
Monitor, investigate, and close the loop on customer feedback of climate control performance
Plan and execute focused test-trips to identify and resolve issues with algorithm performance in a variety of climates
Provide input to HVAC hardware engineering teams on potential updates to improve customer experience
Drive tesla vehicles on daily basis to provide feedback and drive notes to identify bugs and area need improvements
Qualification
Required
Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Chemical Engineering, or equivalent experience
Excellent fundamentals of heat-transfer and thermodynamics, especially as applied to climate control systems and human thermal comfort
Demonstrated ability to ground-up design, analyze, and implement/calibrate control systems in real-world applications
Excellent proficiency with creating controls-oriented dynamic system models of thermal, hydraulic, or mechanical systems in MATLAB/Simulink/Python
Strong background in linear systems analysis, observers and state-estimation, and first principles design and analysis of control systems
Excellent proficiency with analysis of large data sets in MATLAB/Python
Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally, work hands-on, and execute on open-ended projects in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment
Comfort working in actual vehicles and/or test-benches to test and refine controller designs
Basic proficiency with embedded firmware development in C/C++
Willingness to travel ~20% of the time every quarter for vehicle testing in a range of environmental conditions (may vary based on immediate program needs so some degree of flexibility is required)
Benefits
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
Company
Tesla
Tesla is an electric vehicle and clean energy company that provides electric cars, solar, and renewable energy solutions.
Founded in 2003
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Tesla has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
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Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (2796)
2024 (2113)
2023 (1304)
2022 (1227)
2021 (1102)
2020 (723)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$20.12BKey Investors
Societe GeneraleEuropean UnionPennDOT
2024-10-05Post Ipo Debt· $783M
2023-09-13Grant· $159.6M
2023-08-15Grant· $0.23M
Leadership Team
Vaibhav Taneja
Chief Financial Officer
Tom Zhu
SVP of Automotive
Recent News
2026-01-25
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