RF Cellular & EE Validation Engineer, Autonomous Products

We are seeking an RF Cellular and EE Validation Engineer to own hardware validation for the Telematics Control Unit (TCU) used across Tesla vehicles, energy products, and robots. The TCU is the product's connection to the network — cellular, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, and GNSS — and on autonomous platforms that link is safety- and availability-critical, not a convenience feature. Its real-world performance depends as much on the power and digital platform underneath the radio as on the radio itself.

This role sits where high-frequency RF meets automotive EE hardware, because most real TCU failures live at that seam: a switching regulator that desenses GNSS, a transceiver that lights up a cellular band, a thermal corner where sensitivity falls off. You will be the technical authority for test architecture, validation methodology, and root-cause debug across cellular, multi-radio coexistence, and the power and digital platform — and you will own the call on whether the hardware is ready, with the data behind it. Antenna, thermal, and RFFE design are owned by dedicated teams; you will partner with each and supply the validation data they depend on.

- Own the end-to-end hardware validation strategy for the TCU: define the test architecture, DV/PV plan, and pass/fail criteria across 4G LTE, 5G NR, Wi-Fi/BT, and GNSS, and own the entry and exit criteria for each program gate

- Define and execute cellular transmitter and receiver parametric validation — EVM, ACLR, spectral flatness, spurious emissions, reference sensitivity, and blocking — across bands, power levels, and temperature corners

- Own OTA parametric validation (TRP/TIS) and multi-antenna MIMO performance, including Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC) and diversity imbalance, and correlate conducted bench results to OTA and on-vehicle data

- Lead validation of GNSS performance and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) satellite-to-cellular capability, including TTFF, acquisition and tracking sensitivity, C/N0, and interference resilience

- Identify platform desensitization, including Maximum Sensitivity Degradation (MSD) from harmonic and intermodulation exceptions during carrier aggregation and concurrent multi-radio operation — isolate the aggressor, whether RF, digital, or supply — then specify and validate the mitigation, from high-attenuation LC notch filtering to shielding and grounding changes

- Validate the electrical platform — high-speed digital interfaces, power distribution networks (PDN), and memory architecture (discrete DRAM/NAND versus MCP) — against automotive thermal, space, and key-off current constraints

- Architect and implement the Python test automation framework: instrument drivers over SCPI/VISA and vendor APIs, hardware abstraction, a reusable test-case library, sequencer, and structured reporting — so a test is written once, runs on any qualified bench, and serves both interactive debug and automated regression from one codebase

- Automate the test setup itself, not just the measurement. Build programmatic control of the bench — RF switch matrices, programmable attenuators, and signal routing so a test selects its own path without recabling; automated path-loss sweeps and per-path calibration files applied across frequency; thermal chambers, OTA positioners, programmable supplies, and electronic loads driven from the test sequence; and DUT provisioning including firmware flashing, modem and SIM configuration, and diagnostic, AT-command, and CAN control. Gate every run on an automated bench self-check — instrument presence and firmware revision, calibration currency, path-loss validity — and capture bench and DUT build identity with the results so a measurement is reproducible months later, on a different bench or at a different site

- Drive hardware readiness for carrier certification (PTCRB, GCF, and operator programs) and global regulatory compliance (FCC, ISED, CE/RED), pre-screening in-house so the lab visit confirms rather than discovers

- Serve as the technical interface across hardware design, firmware, Tier-1 manufacturing partners, and cellular chipset vendors; bridge engineering validation into the factory calibration and test flow, and mentor engineers and technicians on measurement discipline

- Degree in Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related field, or equivalent experience

- P3: 5+ years of hands-on RF and EE validation experience, with at least one product taken through certification and volume production. P4: 8+ years, including technical ownership of multiple programs and the ability to set validation architecture independently

- Automotive, mobile handset, IoT, or telecom hardware experience; automotive TCU or telematics strongly preferred

- Strong command of 3GPP physical-layer requirements and RF front-end (RFFE) architectures, together with signal integrity and power integrity fundamentals

- Demonstrated ability to debug across the RF/EE boundary — you have personally chased an issue from an RF symptom to a power or digital root cause, or the reverse

- Hands-on expertise with cellular callboxes and network emulators (Keysight UXM, R&S CMW500/CMX500, Anritsu MT8000A): signaling and non-signaling modes, carrier aggregation and RB/MCS configuration, sensitivity search, throughput and BLER, fading, and VoLTE and NTN scenarios

- Expert use of VNAs (SOLT/TRL/ECal calibration, de-embedding versus port extension), spectrum and signal analyzers (RBW/VBW and detector selection, SEM/OBW/ACLR, EVM, phase noise), oscilloscopes (high-bandwidth probing, power-rail transients, eye diagrams and jitter on DDR, automotive Ethernet, and USB), and power meters (average versus peak sensors, TDD burst measurement, path-loss compensation)

- GNSS simulator experience (Spirent GSS-series, Safran/Orolia, or equivalent) covering multi-constellation scenarios, TTFF cold/warm/hot, tracking sensitivity, and trajectory playback; plus supporting equipment — SMUs for microamp key-off current, load-dump generators, RF shield boxes and switch matrices, and OTA and thermal chambers

- Python (preferred), MATLAB, or LabVIEW for instrument control (SCPI/VISA), automated bench and fixture control, unattended sweep campaigns, and parametric data analysis — with the measurement discipline behind it: calibration traceability, fixture and path-loss characterization, uncertainty budgets, and bench-to-bench and bench-to-EOL correlation

- Clear communication with non-RF stakeholders and the ability to own multiple programs under aggressive schedules. Nice to have: OTA chamber and TRP/TIS methodology; Wi-Fi 6/6E, BT/BLE, UWB, or C-V2X validation; automotive EMC standards (CISPR 25, ISO 11452, ISO 10605); firmware literacy in C, bootloaders, and Linux; and CI-driven hardware test with results published against each build

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
- Earned Wage Access: Real-time pay access paid daily, subject to eligibility and schedule (applicable for below Sr. Managers levels)
Expected Compensation $109,600 - $234,000/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.