Sr. Software Engineer, Firmware Release, Residential Energy Products
- Palo Alto, United States
Posted 6 days ago
About the role
What to Expect
Tesla Energy is accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy through a rapidly growing fleet of residential solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and charging systems deployed across hundreds of thousands of homes globally. Tesla Energy operates one of the largest residential battery fleets in the world with each unit running software that controls grid interaction, safety, and energy dispatch. Every software release touches customer homes, utility partners, and grid programs.
We are hiring a senior engineer to own the end-to-end software release lifecycle for the Residential fleet. You will be managing what ships to a diverse fleet, executing the rollout on our internal deployment platform, improving that platform, and turning the resulting fleet telemetry into a rigorous release-quality signal that catches regressions early.
This is a high-ownership IC role at the intersection of release engineering, platform contribution, and data analysis. You will be the single point of accountability for "is this release healthy in the field."
What You'll Do
- Own the release plan. Partner with software leads, product managers, and TPMs to decide what firmware version goes to which cohort in the fleet. You will be the primary point of contact for residential energy stakeholders on firmware release status and planning. Accountable for keeping each fleet cohort on its intended version per the release plan. You will be accountable to maintain the fleet on the latest firmware version at any given time
- Execute rollouts. Drive software/firmware deployments using Tesla's internal fleet deployment platform. Manage staging, piloting, and full-fleet phases. Own the go/no-go call at each phase, including holdbacks and rollbacks when field signals warrant it
- Improve the deployment platform. Work closely with the fleet-tooling team to identify gaps in the deployment pipeline and contribute code to close them. You will be a meaningful engineering contributor to the platform, not just a user of it
- Build the post-deployment analysis system. Design and build tooling that ingests fleet telemetry and high signal to identify new firmware bugs and regressions. This becomes the primary signal for release quality reviews and for prioritizing firmware bug fixes
- Close the loop with firmware teams. Escalate suspected regressions with reproducible evidence. Track fix throughput. Represent the fleet's real-world behavior back into release planning discussions
What You'll Bring
- Degree in Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent experience
- Experience deploying software or firmware at scale, including familiarity with staged rollout and rollback strategies
- Strong data analysis skills, including proficiency writing SQL against large datasets
- Proficiency in a modern scripting or programming language (e.g., Python, Bash, JavaScript, Ruby)
- Working knowledge of energy storage, power electronics, or related hardware systems
- Experience using AI/LLM tools to accelerate engineering workflows
- Strong problem-solving skills and exceptional attention to detail with the ability to produce clear, concise written documentation
- Strong communication skills for cross-functional collaboration
- Work travel is expected to be <5% in this job. This could include traveling to lab sites, customer sites, manufacturing facilities, etc.
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
Expected Compensation
$168,000 - $252,000/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.
Tesla is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
Tesla is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.