Internship, Data Engineer, Fleet Data, Self-Driving (Winter/Spring 2027)

About the role

Internship, Data Engineer, Fleet Data, Self-Driving (Winter/Spring 2027) | Tesla (Tesla SI)

Location: Palo Alto, California | Req ID: 281612 | Job Type: Intern/Apprentice

What to Expect

Consider before submitting an application

This position is expected to start around January 2027 and continue through the entire Spring term (ending approximately May 2027 or later, if available). We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time (40 hours/week) and on-site, for most internships. Our internship program is for students who are 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.

International Students: If your work authorization is via CPT, consult your school regarding your ability to work 40 hours per week before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week onsite. Many students will be limited to part-time during the academic year.

What You'll Do

• Contribute to end-to-end data pipeline development, from fleet data ingestion to visualization, gaining hands-on experience with modern data engineering tools and cloud-native architectures
• Help define and implement key performance metrics for Tesla’s self-driving systems, supporting data-driven decision-making through analysis of real-world driving events
• Assist in monitoring system health using observability tools, including log aggregation, alerting workflows, and automated checks to ensure reliability at scale
• Build and document reusable developer tools and internal libraries, enabling faster analysis and visualization across engineering and data teams
• Support data flow optimization to improve the volume, diversity, and timeliness of fleet data available to downstream teams
• Collaborate with SI and software engineering partners to evaluate the impact of new datasets on model performance and system insights
• Create interactive dashboards and visualization tools that translate complex fleet data into clear, actionable insights for cross-functional stakeholders

What You'll Bring

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a related technical field with a graduation date of May 2027 - May 2028
• Proficient in Python and SQL, with practical experience writing clean, efficient code
• Exposure to the full data lifecycle, including data sourcing, ingestion, transformation, and analysis — with opportunities to contribute to real-world data systems under mentorship
• Demonstrate ability to take ownership of projects, from identifying data needs to building and testing simple pipelines or dashboards, with guidance from senior engineers
• Adaptable and proactive, thriving in fast-paced, ambiguous environments — comfortable learning new tools, asking questions, and iterating quickly in a collaborative team setting

Benefits

As a full-time Tesla Intern, you will be eligible for

• Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans. Both have an option with a $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
• Earned Wage Access: Real-time pay access paid daily, subject to eligibility and schedule (applicable for below Sr. Managers levels)

Expected Compensation$36.06 - $50.48 + benefitsPay 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.