Technical Program Manager, Cell Manufacturing Quality Improvement

Staff Technical Program Manager, Cell Manufacturing Quality Improvement

Location:

Austin, TX

Salary: $ - $

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Battery Cells are the common denominator for every Tesla product. Our product requirements demand ground‑up cell architectures with state‑of‑the‑art performance, manufactured at volumes that are orders of magnitude higher than the products they power. Our environment is fast‑paced and incredibly exciting. Tesla moves quickly, so being passionate and self‑motivated to push your limits is critical.

Our team works alongside engineering groups across various disciplines, requiring strong communication skills and a team‑first mentality. You will work alongside seasoned industry experts, high‑aptitude recent graduates, and people from every stage in between.

We are seeking a highly motivated materials and/or cleanroom expert with exceptional project management skills to lead Tesla Cell Manufacturing Quality Improvement efforts. The key to sustained success and scalability is a comprehensive action plan to improve manufacturing quality in all aspects, including improving defect detection methods, implementing strategies to remove defects from the process, and quantifying the risk from varying defect types and quantities.

This person will work with every team in Cell, across multiple factories in different countries, to build out and lead a holistic project to address the issues. This will include large‑scale CAPEX investments in facilities and tooling, continuous improvement projects in factories, and quality control measures. This person must be seasoned in manufacturing for high reliability applications such as Li‑ion cells, medical, semiconductor, or a similar field with several years’ experience.

• Map out and lead an enterprise‑level initiative to assess, reduce, and control manufacturing defects across multiple factories
• Improve all elements of the manufacturing process, from raw material to finished products and into the field to improve the performance of the 4680 Cell
• Establish KPIs to track implementation, drive continuous risk reduction, and report progress to Sr/Exec leadership
• Define and propose risk mitigation projects for all levels of the organization, including working with factory teams to drive/implement solutions on the manufacturing floor
• Ensure universal adoption of best practices across the Cell ecosystem, incorporating lessons learned for each iteration of design
• Lead and facilitate cross‑functional problem‑solving meetings with design, quality, manufacturing, materials, and process engineering teams
• Lead defect analysis and design of experiments (DOEs) to identify root causes and effects of various manufacturing defects
• Mentor, upskill, and develop the entire Cell organization to support a culture step change

• 10+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment, or commensurate technical research and applications
• Degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Proven track record of developing large‑scale projects and driving on‑time delivery of tangible results
• Experience working with lithium‑ion cells or high reliability products like medical or aerospace is preferred
• Strong interpersonal skills, able to convince stakeholders of the value of the initiative
• Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills with demonstrated ability to communicate effectively across levels and functions
• Experience working with well‑established quality standards such as ISO, ASTM, and AIAG
• Passion for systematic problem‑solving using systems
• Detail oriented, with the ability to effectively handle multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and perform under high pressure
• Fluent with common MS office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Along with competitive pay, as a full‑time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire:

• Aetna PPO and HSA plans > 2 medical plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family‑building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental…