Sr. Staff Materials Engineer, Semiconductor & Thin Films, Terafab

About the role

Sr. Staff Materials Engineer, Semiconductor & Thin Films, Terafab | Tesla (Terafab)

Location: AUSTIN, Texas | Req ID: 273573 | Job Type: Full-time

What to Expect

Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI are partnering to launch the most epic chip-building effort ever – combining logic, memory, and advanced packaging under one roof. Terafab will close the gap between today's chip production and the future's demand – a future among the stars.

The team is seeking a highly experienced Materials Engineer to serve as the senior technical authority on semiconductor and thin-film materials development. In this role, you will lead materials innovation from concept through high-volume manufacturing, defining strategy for materials selection, characterization, and qualification across thin-film deposition platforms. You will work cross-functionally with process engineering, device design, and reliability teams, translating fundamental materials understanding into product-level solutions.

This is a high-impact technical leadership role requiring deep expertise in semiconductor materials science and a track record of driving complex programs from research to production. This position requires up to 50% domestic travel.

What You'll Do

• Define and execute the materials engineering roadmap for semiconductor thin-film development, ensuring alignment with product and technology milestones
• Lead root-cause analysis and failure investigations involving thin-film deposition, interface chemistry, and device-level degradation mechanisms
• Serve as the primary technical resource for materials selection, process-structure-property relationships, and qualification of new material systems
• Mentor and develop a team of materials engineers and characterization specialists; establish best practices for materials characterization workflows
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with process engineering, device integration, and reliability teams to accelerate development cycles
• Evaluate and introduce emerging materials platforms (complex oxides, nitrides, novel dielectrics) to address technology scaling challenges

What You'll Bring

• Degree in Materials Science & Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or a closely related field, or equivalent experience
• 12+ years of experience in semiconductor materials engineering, thin-film technology, or advanced materials R&D
• Demonstrated expertise in multiple characterization techniques (TEM, XRD, XPS, SIMS, AFM, ellipsometry)
• Deep knowledge of thin-film deposition processes (PVD, CVD, PECVD, ALD, sputtering) and their impact on microstructure and performance
• Proven ability to lead technical teams and drive complex, multi-stakeholder projects from research to production
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to distill complex materials science into actionable engineering guidance
• Experience with Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) frameworks or computational materials screening is preferred
• Familiarity with semiconductor fab environments and high-volume manufacturing constraints is preferred
• Ability to travel up to 50%

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)