T

Tesla

Makes electric cars, robotaxis and grid batteries

Refinery Operations Leader - Battery Minerals & Metals

Full-Time
No salary listed
Senior, Expert
Bachelor's
Texas, USA
In PersonRelocation support is available for the right candidate; travel is required as needed.
Manufacturing & Production OperationsMachine & Process Operation

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 8 years of progressive leadership in chemical refining, mineral processing, petrochemicals, metals production, or similar high-volume continuous operations.
  • Experience leading large teams of 100 or more people through complex ramps, turnarounds, or greenfield startups in 24/7 industrial environments.
  • A degree in Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience.
  • Direct experience with highly hazardous chemicals, including pyrophorics, is a plus.
  • Willingness to work extended hours during ramp phases.
  • Willingness to travel as needed.
Responsibilities
  • Oversee all shifts and functions of the refining facility, including kiln operations, leaching, purification, crystallization, drying, and product finishing, while meeting production forecasts and quality specifications.
  • Execute the ramp from initial production to full nameplate capacity while continuously improving yield, uptime, and cost per ton.
  • Champion safety performance and environmental stewardship, ensuring compliance with regulatory, permitting, and company standards in a high-temperature chemical-process environment.
  • Work with Process Engineering, Research and Development, and Equipment teams to optimize alkaline leach and purification processes, eliminate bottlenecks, and reduce energy and reagent consumption.
  • Build, coach, and develop a high-performing team of operators, shift supervisors, engineers, and technicians.
  • Partner with Mining, Logistics, Quality, Manufacturing, Cell Production, and external suppliers to ensure raw material intake and on-specification product delivery to downstream battery factories.
  • Own key performance indicators including overall equipment effectiveness, throughput, yield, cost, safety, and sustainability metrics, and provide leadership updates to senior management.
  • Lead initiatives to minimize waste, repurpose byproducts such as residues converted into construction materials, and reduce the carbon intensity of refining.
Desired Qualifications
  • Greenfield refinery experience.
  • Mission-driven, hands-on, data-focused approach with comfort operating in high ambiguity and rapid-paced environments.
  • Ability to work on the plant floor while thinking strategically about multi-year scale-up.

About the company

T

Tesla

View
Website

Tesla makes electric cars and batteries that store power for homes and utilities, and it develops self-driving software and humanoid robots. In 2023, its Model Y became the first electric vehicle to rank as the world's best-selling car. Buyers order the Model 3 sedan, Model Y SUV, or Cybertruck pickup directly from Tesla instead of through dealers, and they charge on its Supercharger fast-charging network. It also sells Megapack and Powerwall batteries, runs a robotaxi service, and charges drivers a monthly fee for self-driving software that still needs their supervision. Tesla was founded in 2003, with Elon Musk as its lead early investor and a recognized co-founder, and it is based in Austin, Texas.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Austin, Texas

Founded

2003

Get referred to Tesla

See people who can refer or advise you

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Sales are growing again: revenue rose 26% to $28.2 billion in the June 2026 quarter, after falling 3% in 2025.
  • Software adds income beyond cars: paid users of its supervised self-driving feature rose 56% to 1.48 million by June 2026.
  • Hiring is back: Tesla's headcount grew 7% to 134,785 by December 2025, after layoffs shrank it 11% in 2024.

What critics are saying

  • Growth isn't reaching profit: operating profit fell 57% to $398 million in the June 2026 quarter, a 1.4% margin.
  • Alphabet's Waymo is far ahead in robotaxis: Texas records in May 2026 listed 577 Waymo vehicles to Tesla's 42.
  • Stock grants have lost value: Tesla shares fell 17% in 2026 through October 8, after a December 2025 record.

What makes Tesla unique

  • Energy storage punches above its weight: Tesla's energy unit made 13% of 2025 sales but 22% of gross profit.
  • Tesla set the charging standard: Ford, GM and all major EV sellers in North America adopted its plug by 2024.
  • Robots are written into Musk's pay: his 2025 award sets goals of 1 million humanoid robots and 1 million robotaxis.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Benefits

  • Remote Work Options
  • Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

-1%
Yahoo Finance
Oct 24th, 2026
Tesla aims to deliver steering wheel-free Cybercab to customers by end of 2026

Tesla aims to start delivering its Cybercab to customers before the end of 2026, vice president of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy said on the company's third-quarter earnings call. The two-seater has no steering wheel, pedals, or mirrors, and is built to drive itself. Tesla starts small. It is adding Texas-made Cybercabs to its Robotaxi fleet and hopes to sell a few to customers by year's end. Chief executive officer Elon Musk said most Cybercabs will stay Tesla-owned and run as transport services. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is examining how Tesla certified that the car meets federal safety standards, which were written for human-driven vehicles. Tesla has until October 30 to respond. Texas has installed annual Cybercab capacity of more than 125,000. Tesla plans to expand Cybercab service to Dallas next month.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 23rd, 2026
SpaceX shares end rocky week as $5.2B Starlink quarter and Tesla merger talk collide with selloff

SpaceX investors had a rocky week. A third-quarter report that beat estimates and Elon Musk's backing of a Tesla merger lifted shares 9% on Wednesday, but a tech selloff over AI worries erased the gain on Thursday. Connectivity revenue, mostly from Starlink, rose 69% to $5.2 billion. Starlink added 1.6 million subscribers, bringing the total to just under 14 million. Bloomberg reports SpaceX is in talks with Crown Castle and American Tower to lease space on 80,000 US cell sites for a terrestrial mobile network. Shares rose on Friday and are up 1% for the week. SpaceX and Tesla have each formed special committees of independent directors to explore a merger. A combined company would be worth about $3.5 trillion, though Musk flagged the need for approval from 50% of Tesla shareholders.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 23rd, 2026
Tesla trades at 14.3x sales versus 0.5x for autos as SpaceX merger talk lifts the $374.58 share price

Tesla shares trade at $374.58, up 82.0% over three years, and a Simply Wall St analysis questions whether the price is backed by sales. The stock trades at about 14.3x sales, against an auto industry average near 0.5x and a peer group around 1.1x. A fair ratio model, which adjusts for margins, growth, market size and risk, still flags that multiple as elevated. Third-quarter revenue was $28.05 billion. Talk of a Tesla and SpaceX merger, heavy spending on AI, robots and Cybercabs, and launches such as the flying Roadster feed investor expectations. Community views split. The bull case calls the stock 44% undervalued; the bear case calls it 1,149% overvalued, citing a price-to-earnings ratio near 330x.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 23rd, 2026
Tesla's car revenue falls 3% to $20.6B as energy slumps 16%, yet its valuation hits $1.5T

Tesla's second-quarter revenue fell 0.2% to $28 billion, as its automotive revenue dropped 3% to $20.6 billion and energy generation and storage revenue slid 16% to $2.88 billion. Services, the third segment, grew 33% to $4.6 billion. Profits fell as the company kept investing in AI and products such as its Optimus robot. Vehicles still bring in nearly three-quarters of revenue, and sales have been flat for three years. Yet Tesla's market cap has climbed to $1.5 trillion, and its price-to-earnings ratio is 200. Chief executive officer Elon Musk has shifted investor focus to autonomy and Optimus. Tesla aims to scale production to 20,000 units a week, with customer deliveries expected around the end of 2027. At this valuation, investors expect annual profit of at least $50 billion, against annual revenue of about $120 billion.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 23rd, 2026
Tesla ramps up Megapack output as 2027 supply nearly sells out on AI data centre demand

Tesla is raising Megapack output "as much as possible" because orders have nearly sold out its 2027 capacity, chief executive officer Elon Musk said on Thursday. He pointed to strong demand from AI data centres. In the third quarter, Tesla deployed 13.7 GWh of energy storage, its second-best quarter on record. Energy revenue was $2.88 billion, down 16% year-over-year, partly due to tariff-related customer refunds. Gross margin rose to 33.1% from 20.4% in the second quarter. The company reported its highest-ever order rate and backlog for storage products. Its new Texas Megafactory began production in the quarter, with planned annual capacity of 50 GWh. With sites in California and Shanghai, combined capacity is roughly 110 GWh.