Software Engineer, Backend

Tesla

📍Fremont, CA
Posted May 21, 2026

Job Overview

Position

Software Engineer, Backend

Company

Tesla

Location

Fremont, CA

Work Type

On-site

Job ID

li-4416576550

Job Description

What To Expect
The Manufacturing Quality Data Engineering team specializes in predicting safety critical issues before they occur, protecting our customers. As part of Tesla's Vehicle Engineering organization, you'll have access to the data gold mine of design, manufacturing, and vehicle data sources, enabling you to design, develop, and deploy innovative generative AI and machine learning platforms globally. In this role, you'll focus on developing software engineer backend system and Application Programming Interface (APIs).

What You'll Do

  • Build elegant, scalable APIs for interacting with applications, systems, and databases, including interacting with real-time systems using technologies like Apache Kafka and Apache Flink.


  • Design, develop, and maintain scalable backend systems in Python and Go, including internal web applications and data platforms


  • Architect new system infrastructures, databases, and integration layers to meet application needs, ensuring seamless frontend integration


  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g., frontend, DevOps, data engineering) to deploy systems smoothly, iterate rapidly on interactive solutions, and resolve complex technical issues.


  • Uphold best software engineering practices through code reviews, design documentation, coding standards, and troubleshooting to ensure high-quality, maintainable backend code


  • Stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies, applying them to innovate in backend systems for areas like Industry 4.0, equipment sensors, and vehicle data analytics


  • Implement logging and monitoring systems to track health, optimize performance, scalability, and reliability of backend infrastructure supporting AI-driven workflows


What You'll Bring
  • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience


  • 3+ years of work experience in software engineering or related fields


  • Expert-level proficiency in designing and developing scalable, efficient, and secure APIs using Python and Go, with in-depth knowledge of REST and gRPC standards, and experience with popular backend frameworks such as Flask, FastAPI (Python) and Gin, or Echo (Go)


  • Experience with databases, including SQL (e.g. MySQL, Microsoft SQL), NoSQL (e.g. MongoDB, Elasticsearch) databases, and column-store database (e.g. ClickHouse) and good knowledge of query optimization


  • Experience with containerization using Docker and orchestration using Kubernetes, and experience working in a fast-paced environment with multiple tight deadlines


  • Strong understanding of software design patterns, principles, and best practices, and experience with Agile development methodologies and version control systems such as Git


Benefits
Compensation and 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

$140,000 - $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

Interview Prep

AI-powered insights to help you prepare

Key Skills

Required:
Preferred:

Practice Questions

💡Technical Questions (3)
  • 1.How would you design a scalable backend system to ingest and process real-time equipment sensor data using Apache Kafka and Apache Flink, and then expose that processed data via a Go API?
  • 2.When querying large volumes of vehicle analytics data, how do you decide between using a column-store database like ClickHouse versus a NoSQL database like MongoDB, and how would you optimize query performance?
  • 3.Can you explain the differences between REST and gRPC and discuss when you would choose one over the other for internal microservices communication at Tesla?
🎯Behavioral Questions (3)
  • 1.Tell me about a time you had to collaborate with cross-functional teams like DevOps and frontend engineers to deploy a complex backend system under a tight deadline.
  • 2.Describe a situation where you identified a performance or scalability issue in a backend system and how you resolved it while upholding best engineering practices.
  • 3.Give an example of a time you had to rapidly iterate on an interactive solution when requirements changed mid-sprint. How did you ensure the backend remained stable?
🧩Situational Questions (2)
  • 1.You are tasked with building a new API to predict safety-critical issues from vehicle data, but the data engineering team is delayed in providing the ML model pipeline. How do you proceed?
  • 2.A newly deployed backend service supporting an AI-driven workflow is experiencing intermittent latency spikes, and the monitoring dashboards aren't immediately revealing the root cause. What are your first steps?

Resume Keywords

Make sure these keywords appear on your resume

PythonGogRPCREST APIApache KafkaApache FlinkKubernetesClickHouseMongoDBFastAPIReal-time SystemsData Platforms

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