Program Management Intern – Vehicle Engineering

Job Description

Job Title: Program Management Intern – Vehicle Engineering

About Tesla’s Internship Program:
The Internship Recruiting Team at Tesla is dedicated to recognizing and developing emerging talent. Our year-round program places top students in positions where they will grow technically, professionally, and personally. Interns work closely with their Manager, Mentor, and team, gaining an immersive experience by contributing to projects critical to their team’s success and experiencing life at Tesla.

About Program Management In Vehicle Engineering:
Technical Program Managers in Vehicle Engineering play a crucial role in enabling Tesla to deliver customer value. They achieve this by setting appropriate priorities amidst competing demands, ensuring timely execution and delivery of committed products, product revisions, features, fixes, and releases. They empower design and test teams to succeed and operate efficiently by resolving cross-team dependencies, elevating standards for cost, quality, and scalability, advocating for customers, and proactively identifying risks and gaps. These program managers operate independently, external to the firmware/software, hardware engineering, and system test organizations. This independence allows them to be cross-functional, hold teams accountable, and identify problems objectively.

Internship Details:

• Expected Start Date: Around May or June 2026.
• Duration: Continues through the Summer term (ending approximately August 2026), with potential to continue into Fall 2026 if opportunities are available.
• Minimum Commitment: 12 weeks, full-time and on-site.
• Work Schedule: Must be able to work 40 hours per week on-site.
• Locations: Multiple possibilities including Palo Alto, CA; Fremont, CA; Austin, TX; Sparks, NV.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be actively enrolled in an academic program.
• Recent graduates seeking employment after graduation and not returning to school should apply for full-time positions, not internships.
• For International Students: If your work authorization is through CPT, please consult your school regarding your ability to work 40 hours per week before applying. Many students may be limited to part-time during the academic year.

Opportunities Across Teams:
Your application will be considered across all opportunities for the following Vehicle Engineering teams:

• Battery Engineering
• Battery Electronics
• Battery Manufacturing
• Cell Engineering
• Drive Systems Engineering
• Exteriors & Interiors Engineering
• Homologation & Passive Safety Engineering
• Safety & Restraints Engineering
• Structures Engineering

What You’ll Bring (Required Qualifications):

• Currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven success as a leader through extracurricular activities, academic projects, passion projects, or equivalent experiences (proven automotive or sustainability interest is a plus).
• Experience in CAD, 3D Modeling, 2D engineering assembly drawings, PLM systems (e.g., Enovia, Solidworks PDM, Teamcenter), and BOM management and creation.
• A systems-level thinker with evidence of driving product design optimization across products, disciplines, and teams.
• A detail-oriented personality with solid technical documentation and reporting skills.
• Solid grasp on engineering fundamentals, such as thermal dynamics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, mechanics, and electronics.
• Experience solving open-ended engineering problems.
• Motivated and active collaborator.
• Proven interest in Tesla’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, demonstrated through extracurricular activities, academic projects, passion projects, or equivalent experiences.

Compensation and Benefits:
As a full-time Tesla Intern, you will be eligible for:

• Expected Compensation: $20.00 – $50.00/hour + 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.
• Medical plans (plan options with $0 payroll deduction).
• Family-building, fertility, adoption, and surrogacy benefits.
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans (both with an option for $0 payroll contribution).
• Company Paid (Health Savings Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Medical Plan with HSA.
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
• 401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits.
• Company Paid Basic Life, AD&D, and short-term disability insurance (90-day waiting period).
• 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.
• Commuter benefits.
• Employee discounts and perks program.

Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.