Data Engineer, Manufacturing Accounting

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and detail-oriented Manufacturing Accounting Data Engineer to join our team at Tesla. In this role, you will leverage your expertise in data engineering, cost accounting, and manufacturing systems to build robust data pipelines and infrastructure. You will perform advanced manufacturing variance analytics, monitor and analyze costs, and provide actionable insights to drive efficiency, profitability, and process improvements in our high-volume manufacturing operations. This position enables cross-functional teams to make critical business and operational decisions by transforming large datasets into meaningful KPIs, visualizations, and dashboards.

Key Responsibilities

• Data Pipeline and Infrastructure Development: Build and maintain data pipelines, databases, and infrastructure using tools like SQL, Python, and Tableau to automate analyses and support manufacturing accounting operations. Acquire data from primary or secondary sources and ensure data systems empower operational and exploratory analysis.
• Compliance, Audit, and Automation: Ensure compliance with internal policies, accounting standards, and regulations. Support audits by providing documentation and analysis of manufacturing costs. Automate analyses and pipelines to enable production and finance teams to leverage key insights efficiently.
• Cost Analysis and Variance Analytics: Conduct in-depth analysis of manufacturing costs, track actual costs for processes and products, and perform variance analyses to identify deviations, cost-saving opportunities, and process improvements. Monitor cost trends, investigate drivers of fluctuations, and propose corrective actions in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Insights and Reporting: Analyze manufacturing data across production lines to extract statistics, identify trends or patterns in complex datasets, and depict insights via innovative dashboards and reports for upper-level management. Drive meaningful improvements to production efficiency and financial reporting.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and System Improvements: Work closely with Controls, Process, Manufacturing Engineers, Finance, Operations, and other stakeholders to develop manufacturing variances, inventory, and scrap data collection activities, improve reporting tools, and enhance underlying data systems. Identify underutilized data sources and think outside the box to develop new ways to gather actionable insights for business decisions.
• Inventory and Cost Control: Perform inventory analysis to ensure accuracy, identify discrepancies, and optimize control processes. Implement cost control measures, evaluate cost-saving initiatives, and propose strategies to enhance manufacturing efficiency and reduce expenses.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• SQL for data extraction and manipulation
• Python for automation
• Tableau (or similar) for visualizations
• Advanced MS Excel
• ERP systems
• Manufacturing Execution Systems

Qualifications

• Degree in Accounting, Finance, Data Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
• 2-4 years of experience in data engineering, cost accounting, or a similar role within manufacturing environments, including working with large datasets and Manufacturing Execution Systems.
• Deep understanding of manufacturing processes, cost accounting principles, financial analysis, cost modeling, and variance analysis.
• Excellent analytical skills, attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to interpret complex data for actionable decisions.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment, with strong communication, collaboration, and decision-making skills.
• CPA license, MBA, or relevant certifications preferred but not required.