(Associate) Analytical Chemistry Lab Engineer (m/w/d) – Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg

Tesla was founded in 2003 with the goal of accelerating the transition to sustainable energy and protecting the planet Earth. Through solar energy, batteries, and electric vehicles, we are building a world of amazing abundance.
At Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, we manufacture the Model Y, and starting in 2027, we’ll produce everything from battery cells to electric vehicles. This is unique in Europe. Our international team consists of over 12,000 employees from 130 countries. We hire talent at all skill levels - prior experience in the automotive industry is not required. Would you like to help write the next chapter in Tesla’s success story and work at one of Germany’s most modern workplaces? Then this is the right place for you!

We are looking for a Cell Lab Engineer to join Cell Quality at Gigafactory Berlin. You will set up and run incoming quality control for chemical components, with a focus on anode and cathode materials, including the analytical methods used for IQC decisions. You will keep processes aligned with other Tesla sites and, when quality issues arise, work with Supplier Quality and Supplier Industrialization Engineering on corrective actions.

- Build and release plan for chemical incoming material, including inspection flow, sampling and sampling rate, align specification, acceptance criteria, shelf life and expiration, retain samples, and handover into routine operation.
- Prioritize lots against receiving and laboratory capacity, review the CoA against the incoming specification, and disposition lots as accept, conditional accept, or reject / quarantine, with a documented rationale.
- Confirm that the laboratory procedures used for these decisions are released, suitable, and traceable, including MSA/Gage R&R and correlation, if required by the IQC plan, and conduct method development jointly with the analytical laboratories.
- Define how results should be structured and reported so that evaluation and comparison with other Tesla locations are possible using dashboards based on the same data.
- Align methods, specifications, sampling and acceptance criteria with other Tesla manufacturing sites (process sameness), so GFBB chemical IQC is consistent with the Tesla network.
- In case of non-conformance, document the defect and containment actions, hold the batch during incoming goods inspection, and drive root cause analysis together with the Supplier Industrialization Engineers (SIE) using quality methods such as Ishikawa and problem-solving tree, as well as develop and initiate short-term and long-term corrective actions.
- Maintain the incoming control plan, reaction plan, and IQC metrics together with relevant stakeholders, and drive continuous process improvement.
- Communicate lot status, trends and deviations to the laboratory, Supplier Industrialization Engineers (SIE) and leadership, and keep the chemical IQC sample flow orderly.

- Bachelor's or Master's degree, or an equivalent qualification, in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Technical Chemistry or Materials Science.
- 2+ years of experience in a chemical, battery or manufacturing quality laboratory.
- Hands-on experience with the following lab devices: ICP-OES, Karl Fischer titration of solids, particle-size analysis, density or pycnometry, or an equivalent powder-characterization method.
- Experience setting up or running an incoming-inspection process, including sampling plan, specification and lot disposition, not only performing tests.
- Ability to document a technical decision so that another manufacturing site can follow it.
- Able to explain a result and a lot disposition clearly to technicians, engineers and supplier quality.
- Fluent English, written and spoken, and good working German, written and spoken.
Preferred

- Experience with supplier nonconformances, containment and 8D, together with supplier quality or an equivalent function.
- MSA / Gage R&R on an analytical method used for an accept or reject decision.
- Experience with battery powder materials such as NMC, graphite, PVDF or carbon black.
- Experience recording and analyzing laboratory data in MySQL, SQL, Python or Tableau.
Benefits
Not only do we offer you an attractive compensation package, but also access to a wide range of perks and benefits. For example:

- Our own medical center, a gym and an in-house barbershop
- E-bike charging stations in front of the factory, more than 500 free charging stations for electric cars, a bike leasing program, free use of the nextbike bike-sharing fleet, as well as numerous free shuttle bus routes to Grünheide and the surrounding areas
- You’ll receive subsidized canteen meals, a free S-membership at the Urban Sports Club (discount from M+) and you can sign up for many language courses
- We also offer all employees a wide range of insurance options, such as a company pension plan, as well as discounts on private insurance and legal protection insurance
These and many other benefits await you. Join Tesla and help us build a world of amazing abundance.

Candidates are expected to uphold and actively promote sustainability principles in their daily work, operating in line with Tesla Global Environmental, Health, Safety & Security (EHS&S) Policy and EMAS requirements, fostering a culture of continuous environmental improvement.