Job Title:
Process Engineer I

Shift:
Monday - Friday

Department:
Engineering

Essential Duties:

Being a part of Panasonic’s Cell and Process Engineering team. The Cell and Process Engineering team is responsible for continuously improving processes, supporting new model conversion and new line setup, solving chronic production issues and supporting Panasonic’s battery production to ensure our world-class production is running smoothly and without issue. In addition, we continually seek to improve our process by means of productivity, quality, cost, and other key metrics
Using troubleshooting skills and ability to support problem solving through root cause identification and effective countermeasure development and implementation
Troubleshooting chronic production problems to maintain output levels and reduce defects
Working with other teams to coordinate process and machine improvement activities ranging from long term process development projects to reactive countermeasures to address immediate issues
Making data-driven decisions and improving data analysis skills relevant to mass manufacturing executed here at the Gigafactory
Supporting engineering/maintenance/quality teams in developing permanent structures & countermeasures to common problems in daily manufacturing. Can relate to productivity, quality, loss, safety, etc.
Assist implementing and expanding new countermeasures into production lines
Monitoring and auditing manufacturing processes to ensure product specifications and standards are achieved
Building technical knowledge to develop standard work instructions, SOP’s and troubleshooting guides
Implementing and supporting manufacturing industrial automation
Other duties may be assigned

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:

To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Qualifications: Requirements - Required and/or Preferred

Education:

Basic/Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or similar discipline
Preferred: Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or similar discipline

Essential Qualifications:

0-2 years of process engineering or manufacturing engineering experience
Demonstration of exceptional ability. Panasonic follows a culture of full-cycle engineering where members will have full responsibility and accountability for their projects from start to finish.
Excited to perform engineering functions and responsibilities in a manufacturing environment.
Able to train manufacturing operators on new or revised manufacturing process instructions or tooling.
Should be flexible with the working environment and be able to perform job duties between manufacturing floor and office/desk.
Must be able to perform machine and process troubleshooting and apply root cause analysis.
Excited to work on projects such as scrap, cost, and FTE reduction.
Experience with time studies, resource mapping, and bottleneck analysis.
Must work on building engineering skills (process development/improvement, troubleshooting, data analysis, tolerancing, MPI’s).
Capable of identifying critical process parameters. Knowledge of FTA, FMEA, etc.
Team working skills with others in the organization.
Self-starter who works well with some guidance. Ability to follow up with some direction and will focus on team success.
A strong work ethic with a “get the job done” approach who consistently delivers excellent customer service, both internally and externally.
Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with lithium-ion battery theory or R&D
Familiarity with roll-to-roll processing techniques
Experience with material management and control
Knowledge of electrochemistry and ability to apply principles
Knowledge and ability to apply principles of solutions chemistry to real world working environment
Experience with control strategy, PLC, and sensor/actuator relationships is a plus
Previous experience with Industrial data analysis or Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
Experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment (1M+ units per day) such as batteries or electronic devices
Familiarity with six sigma methodologies and tools
Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Preferred License(s):

None

Preferred Certification(s):

None

Physical Demands:

Physical Activities: (Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to)

Sit: 20%
Walk: 50%
Stand: 20%
Lift: 10%

Required Lifting and Carrying: (Required frequency is: Not required (0%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%, Continuous (67-100%)

Up to 10 lbs.: Frequent
Up to 20 lbs.: Frequent
Up to 35 lbs.: Frequent
Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Frequent

About Us:
Panasonic Energy of North America (PENA) is collaborating with Tesla at a massive battery factory near Reno, Nevada which is known for its quality of life and expansive outdoor adventures. Panasonic's role at the Gigafactory is to manufacture and supply cylindrical lithium-ion cells to Tesla for their electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

Over the past few years, the Gigafactory has grown to the largest lithium-ion battery factory in the world. Together with our partner Tesla, we continue to revolutionize the lithium-ion battery space and accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy and transportation.

Our mission at PENA is to make the vision of affordable Electric Vehicles a reality by producing the world’s safest, high quality, and lowest cost batteries. Through this effort we will create a clean energy society and our products will change society’s use of and perceptions of electric power.

In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.

Supplemental Information:
Pre-employment drug testing is required. Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.
Panasonic is an Equal Opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by law. All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy of North America.