What to Expect
Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg marks a defining moment in Europe for Tesla's mission of accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy. Here we will launch revolutionary products at massive scale, using extraordinary speed, innovation, and efficiency. Our employees ensure we achieve our goals — and we welcome you to help write the next chapter of our success story.
Tesla is looking for a highly motivated Manager, Cell Formation, who will serve as the operational and organizational expert for the Cell Formation shop at GFBB Cell Manufacturing. Reporting directly to the Sr. Manager, Cell Manufacturing, you will lead Operations, Maintenance, and Process, Equipment & Controls Engineering teams with full accountability for performance, development, and outcomes. The Formation shop is a highly automated end-to-end operation, integrating automated rack and conveyor systems, pick & place operations, and high-voltage formation cycling electronics into a seamless, high-throughput production flow, while driving continuous improvement and supporting future capacity expansion.
What You'll Do-
Lead and develop a multi-functional team across Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering — with accountability for both direct reports (Associate Managers, Supervisors) and indirect reports (Operators, Maintenance Technicians, Engineers) — including hiring, team structure, and training programs
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Own shop performance against key metrics: First Time Through (FTT), Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Safety, Quality, Cost, and Daily Production Plan
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Accountable for full shift operations across the Cell Formation shop — ensuring seamless coverage, escalation management, and production continuity across all shifts spanning Aging, Formation Cycling, and Packaging
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Champion a safety-first culture across all functions — Formation processes involve high-voltage cycling systems, significant energy densities, and a dense, highly automated material handling environment; ensure rigorous adherence to safety standards, proactive hazard identification, and zero-compromise on safe working practices
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Drive reliability and throughput improvements across the fully integrated automation landscape — including automated rack and conveyor systems, pick & place operations, packaging equipment, and high-voltage formation cycling electronics — ensuring interdependent systems perform as a cohesive, high-output production flow
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Leverage the integrated Engineering team (Process, Equipment, Controls) to drive equipment reliability, process stability, formation protocol optimization, and automation performance across the full end-to-end system
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Own the shop's Process FMEA discipline and continuous improvement cadence — driving systematic risk identification, prioritization, and closure across Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering; embed a zero-defect mindset and ensure lessons learned are consistently fed back into updated standards and documentation
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Build and maintain strong working relationships across the Cell Manufacturing value chain — collaborating closely with upstream partners (e.g., Electrode, Cell Assembly) and downstream partners (e.g. Battery Pack) to ensure seamless material flow, aligned priorities, and rapid resolution of cross-functional issues
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Partner with Quality, EHS, and Supply Chain to resolve quality concerns, support new product introductions, and coordinate new model launches
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Own and drive shop compliance — ensuring adherence to all regulatory, environmental, health, safety, and internal policy requirements; act as the accountable leader for audit readiness and corrective action closure across all functions
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Translate strategic direction into clear team actions; represent the shop to senior leadership with clarity and
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Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or Industrial Engineering — or equivalent with demonstrated exceptional ability
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7–12 years of experience in high-volume manufacturing, with direct and indirect leadership
- Proven experience in high-volume industry, ideally battery or electrochemical manufacturing
- Demonstrated ability to build and enforce a safety-first culture
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Proven experience operating and optimizing highly automated, end-to-end manufacturing systems — including automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), conveyor networks, pick & place automation, and packaging equipment at high volume; demonstrated ability to manage complex system interdependencies and drive overall line reliability
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Proven experience leading Maintenance teams systematically in a highly automated manufacturing environment — including establishing and driving Preventive Maintenance (PM) programs, Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) tracking, spare parts strategy, and escalation frameworks; ability to shift a maintenance organization from reactive to predictive, data-driven operations at scale
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Strong background in OEE-driven operations — demonstrated ability to diagnose and close losses across availability, performance, and quality in a continuous, high-throughput environment
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Experience leading or closely collaborating with Controls and Equipment Engineering teams — ability to bridge operational needs with technical solutions across process, equipment, and automation domains
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Proven experience ramping manufacturing lines to rate readiness, including managing cross-functional dependencies, resolving early-production instability, and scaling automated systems to target volumes under time pressure
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Proficiency in structured problem-solving (8D, DMAIC, or equivalent); experience applying FMEA and zero-defect principles in production
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Exceptional relationship builder — proven ability to establish trust and credibility across functions, levels, and cultures; navigates complex stakeholder environments with confidence and fosters a collaborative, solutions-oriented working culture
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Fluent in English, German is a plus (written and spoken)
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Availability to cover shifts during buy-off or severe process issues; willingness to travel internationally as required
Tesla is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
Tesla is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.
