Full-Time
Associate Manager Plastics
Updated on 9/7/2026
Tesla
10,001+ employees
EVs and integrated renewable energy solutions
No salary listed
Grünheide (Mark), Germany
In Person
Bachelor's, Master's
 Manufacturing & Production Operations |
|---|
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- A Bachelor of Science or Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent field.
- At least 3 years of prior manufacturing experience in leadership positions.
- Experience in a plastics production environment.
- Fluency in English and German.
- Experience with process improvement methodologies to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
- Ability to work well under pressure, manage competing demands, and meet tight deadlines with strong follow-through.
- Understanding of standardized processes.
- Ability to foster close working relationships with team members and management.
- High-level leadership and decision-making skills.
- Experience leading, coaching, and developing direct reports across a broad range of engineering and technical disciplines.
- Broad experience with lean manufacturing systems and methodologies, including tier accountability, layered auditing, continuous improvement, and Kaizen activities.
- Strong record-keeping and organizational skills.
- Availability to cover shifts for scheduled paid-time-off absences as needed.
- Availability for off-hours calls.
- Meet production forecasts and ensure policies and procedures are carried out to achieve established company goals within injection molding, plastics paint, and fascia assembly.
- Maintain accountability for key shop metrics, including First Time Through, Overall Equipment Efficiency, safety metrics, quality targets, and the daily production plan.
- Support and meet business plans, capacity and headcount targets, and key performance indicators.
- Maintain high product quality and manufacturing yield while ensuring optimal use of resources and adherence to safety practices.
- Implement and maintain adherence to lean manufacturing and 5S initiatives.
- Assess and analyze current practices and drive continuous improvement.
- Ensure consistency in standards and documentation, and monitor and ensure compliance.
- Monitor and evaluate product key characteristics.
- Support new product and material introductions and interact with the design team to coordinate new model launches.
- Foster a positive and collaborative team atmosphere.
- Develop and coach team members to build capability and performance.
- Interact with the Quality Management Team to correct, contain, and resolve vehicle quality concerns.
- Support and manage continuous improvement activities related to safety, environmental performance, quality, cost, efficiency, and productivity; provide feedback to management and benchmark other organizations for best practices.
- Administer, coordinate, and comply with Business Management Systems and Environmental Management Systems requirements.
- Lead interviewing, hiring, training, and decision-making for production supervisor, production associate, and production engineer new hires.
Tesla designs and sells electric vehicles and renewable energy products. Its cars (Model S, 3, X, Y, and Roadster) run on battery power, with a semi-autonomous Autopilot driving system and a global network of fast-charging stations called Superchargers. The company also provides solar panels, Solar Roof, and energy storage products (Powerwall, Powerpack, Megapack) to generate and store clean energy for homes and businesses. Tesla operates with a vertically integrated model, manufacturing key components (batteries, drivetrains) and selling directly to customers via its website and stores, while earning revenue from vehicle and energy product sales and regulatory credits. Its goal is to speed up the world’s transition to sustainable energy by combining mobility and energy solutions in one ecosystem.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Austin, Texas
Founded
2003
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Tesla says FSD recorded 4.1 times fewer collisions across Europe in 2026.
- Cybercab fleet reached roughly 1,000 Austin vehicles, accelerating robotaxi revenue tests.
- Megapack and energy storage growth diversify Tesla beyond cyclical car sales.
What critics are saying
- NHTSA opened AQ26002 on September 4, 2026 over Cybercab self-certification.
- EU courts can void Tesla's FSD approvals after October 6, 2026 vote failure.
- Sales softness in August 2026, especially Portugal, shows brand demand erosion.
What makes Tesla unique
- Tesla's 2026 Cybercab launched driverless paid rides before rivals matched scale.
- Tesla's 2026 EU FSD approvals in six countries show rare regulatory momentum.
- Tesla's vertical integration spans batteries, software, vehicles, and energy storage.
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Benefits
Remote Work Options
Flexible Work Hours
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -2%1 year growth
↓ -2%2 year growth
↓ -3%Tesla claims its Full Self-Driving technology recorded 4.1 times fewer collisions than manually driven Tesla vehicles across five European countries where it is currently permitted, according to data released ahead of a crucial EU vote on wider deployment. The findings are based on over 100 million kilometres of driving data collected between April and August. FSD-equipped cars were involved in three motorway collisions and nine on non-motorway roads, compared with 137 and 490 respectively for manually driven vehicles. The Netherlands granted provisional FSD approval in April, with Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, and Lithuania following suit. Tesla also published an open-source safety dashboard it says was shared with EU regulators in April. Reuters previously reported that experts said Tesla's safety statistics relied on invalid comparisons and could give a misleading impression of the system's performance.
Goldman Sachs analysts suggest Tesla's Cybercab could provide a cost advantage in the robotaxi market, though software performance will be more critical than manufacturing costs for scaling operations. Tesla held a Cybercab launch event in Austin on 3 September and has completed 1 million miles of unsupervised robotaxi operations. The company is seeking operators for Cybercab fleets and infrastructure. If Tesla achieves its targeted $20,000–$30,000 Cybercab cost at scale, Goldman estimates a potential $0.05–$0.30 per-mile cost advantage over competitors with upfront costs of $50,000–$100,000. However, analysts emphasise that Tesla's ability to scale rapidly across wider geographic areas depends on its artificial intelligence approach, making software a larger driver of robotaxi economics than vehicle price. Tesla has received provisional Full Self-Driving approval in the Netherlands and four other EU countries.
Gary Moss, a blind 62-year-old from Washington, says Tesla's Cybercab could help restore independence he lost when cancer took his sight five years ago. Moss, who once drove up to 40,000 miles yearly for business, now relies on others for transport. After riding the autonomous vehicle six times in Austin with his son David, Moss praised features like automatic doors and smooth driving. "I'd buy a Cybercab," he said, calling the experience "so close to being everything I need." However, gaps remain for blind users. Moss struggled to identify his vehicle amongst multiple Cybercabs and couldn't independently set destinations. He wants voice-activated ride-hailing: "If I could just say, 'Hey Siri or Grok, I need a cab,' and one showed up — I can't believe the options I'd have." Tesla made the Cybercab available to Austin's public following its launch event.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced that the Cybercab's electric motor operates without rare earth metals whilst maintaining the same range as conventional motors. "This was extremely hard to achieve," Musk said on X. The motor is 18% smaller and 25% lighter than its counterparts, according to Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt. The design could help Tesla navigate potential supply chain disruptions, as China dominates the global rare-earth supply chain, particularly for permanent-magnet production. However, investor Gary Black remains critical of the Cybercab launch. "Despite efforts to control the narrative, Tesla's Cybercab event was largely a bust," he wrote on X, citing lack of detail and unanswered questions about deployment plans. Regulatory uncertainty also exists due to the vehicle's absence of traditional controls like a steering wheel and pedals.
Tesla unveiled its autonomous Cybercab at an invitation-only event in Austin on Thursday, showcasing gold-coloured two-door vehicles with butterfly doors and no steering wheel or brake pedals. The company's Cybercab lead, Eric Earley, presented the fleet whilst CEO Elon Musk did not appear. Tesla shares initially rose 7% ahead of the event but fell 6% in Friday trading after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an investigation. Regulators are examining how Tesla self-certified the vehicles meet federal safety standards despite lacking conventional manual controls. The agency will review Tesla's certification process and technical data, particularly regarding determinations that certain federal motor vehicle safety standards are inapplicable to the Cybercab. The rollout provided few details about commercial deployment beyond plans to expand from Austin to other locations.