Internship, Embedded System Software Engineer, Energy Engineering (Fall 2026)

Consider before submitting an application:

This position is expected to start August or September 2026 and continue through fall term (ending approximately December 2026 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 through CPT, please consult your school on your ability to work 40 hours per week before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week on-site. Many students will be limited to part-time during the academic year.

Internship Program at Tesla

The Internship Recruiting Team is driven by the passion to recognize and develop emerging talent. Our year-round program places the best students in positions where they will grow technically, professionally, and personally through their experience working closely with their Manager, Mentor, and team. We provide an experience that allows the intern to experience life at Tesla by including them in projects that are critical to their team’s success.

Tesla Energy is looking for an Embedded Software Engineer to join a small team responsible for energy management and control applications. We are looking for candidates experienced with low-level software such as drivers, porting kernels to new hardware, firmware, boot loaders and general bring-up and debug on the boundaries of hardware and software. Background in low-latency and real-time systems is particularly interesting, but most of all we’re looking for people with a high capacity and ability to ramp up in whatever topic is needed. Strong C knowledge and excellent debugging skills are critical to be successful in this role.

Location: Palo Alto, CA

• Deliver high quality system-level software for various hardware components
• Packaging and build system integration of various software components
• Closely work with teams across the company; Hardware, Applications, QA, Validation and Manufacturing
• Collaborate with validation teams to develop test strategies and test plans
• Driver development, board bring-up and new hardware enablement on Embedded Linux

• Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science or a related field
• Development and debug of firmware such as u-boot or coreboot
• Security features such as SELinux, TLS, verified boot and trusted execution environments
• Real-time and low-latency software development
• Familiar with Linux build environments such as Buildroot, Yocto and Linux from Scratch
• Experience with communication standards and technologies like WiFi, ZigBee, mesh networking, cellular networks
• Comfortable with Go, Python, shell scripting, make, etc.

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

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.