List: Every Tesla gigafactory job and how to get them

Eyeing a position at Tesla Motors' gigafactory? Get in line, buddy.

Given the rock star status of Tesla CEO Elon Musk combined with the prestige that comes with working at the largest lithium-ion battery plant in the world, a spot at the $5 billion gigafactory east of Reno-Sparks is one of the most coveted jobs out there.

Once the facility is in full swing, Tesla expects to employ 6,500 people, which include engineers, technicians, material handlers and managers. Estimated job and salary breakdowns submitted by Tesla to the state in 2014 are:

4,550 production associates paid $22.79 per hour

200 material handlers paid $22.79 per hour

460 equipment technicians paid $27.88 per hour

360 quality technicians paid $27.88 per hour

930 engineers and senior staff paid $41.83 per hour.

Here's a running list of all positions that Tesla has posted so far at its career page and what each job entails (Panasonic jobs are not included in this list for now). Requirements range from a high school education all the way to an engineering degree. Links will be removed as jobs get filled but the descriptions will still remain to give readers an idea of what it takes to run the gigafactory from a manpower perspective.

Buyer: There's shopping for fun and there's shopping for work. Just like avid shoppers know the best places and the best deals, buyers for manufacturing facilities need to leverage their knowledge of the supply chain and industry trends to make the best purchasing decisions for the company. It basically boils down to striking the perfect balance between cost and quality. For Tesla's case, its buyer is expected to be well-versed in transportation and logistics supplier strategy. Responsibilities include coming up with bid specifications, identifying potential suppliers, negotiating contracts, vetting suppliers, and making recommendations for sourcing.

Requirements: The company actually lists several, including a bachelor's degree in a relevant field, one to three years of transportation purchasing experience, knowledge of commercial contract negotiating and familiarity with customs, tax, and duty requirements for international shipping to name a few.

http://bit.ly/1B0xJPH

Commissioning engineer: Commissioning engineers are typically described as managers and troubleshooters, ensuring that all facets of a project are working as intended. In its job posting, Tesla says it is specifically looking for someone with experience in overseeing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. The person also needs to be able to identify problems to be addressed by contractors and project managers as well as train vendors and oversee the re-commissioning of existing buildings in the gigafactory campus.

Requirements: A degree in mechanical or architectural engineering is preferred as well as in-depth understanding of HVAC and electrical systems, building automation and controls. Desired skills include a Commissioning Industry Certification, Certified Energy Manager (CEM) credential and other HVAC or building construction and management certifications or credentials.

http://bit.ly/1cJGMc6

Equipment maintenance technician: If you're a regular Mr. Fix-It, then this is the job for you. Equipment maintenance technicians at the gigafactory site are expected to cover production line equipment and ensure that any downtime is minimized. This includes responding to breakdowns and alarms and doing major equipment repairs and rebuilds. Besides managing spare part inventory, maintenance technicians also can be called upon to design, fabricate and fully document equipment improvements and modifications. Operating forklifts, cranes and other heavy equipment is part of the job, too.

Requirements: Tesla did not list any education or experience requirements for this position.

http://bit.ly/1Gb6ctU

Executive assistant: Before her turn running Stark Industries as CEO, Pepper Potts was Tony Stark's executive assistant. This is actually interesting given how Tesla Motors' Musk was apparently one of the inspirations for Robert Downey Jr.'s take on the Iron Man character. The executive assistant at the gigafactory will be supporting the facility's vice president. Responsibilities listed by Tesla include detailed meeting planning, conference calls, travel arrangements, writing correspondence, compiling and maintaining reports and spreadsheets, and assisting with projects when required.

Requirements: A bachelor's degree, at least three years experience in an administrative role, and proficiency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel.

http://bit.ly/1T9NJ7Q

Facilities automation and control engineer: Automation engineers are the kind of folks who'd arrange a stack of dominos to trigger a ball to start rolling downhill and ultimately pour a cup of water when they were kids. It's the type of meticulous attention to detail that make them perfect for setting up systems and machinery that do the exact same tasks precisely — whether it be at a food processing plant, auto assembly or a battery manufacturing facility like the gigafactory. The gigafactory automation engineer will be responsible for designing and either fabricating or commissioning automated building systems at the facility, including those for plumbing, HVAC and wastewater. The engineer also needs to ensure high performance and reliability for building systems as well as troubleshooting problems and creating engineering solutions quickly.

Requirements: Eight years experience in engineering (Bachelor's of Science) or a field that involves mechanical, electrical and control systems. Tesla also requires a background in controls contracting for control groups such as Siemens, Johnson Controls, Honeywell, Schneider Electric but will also consider experience with in-house systems. Other qualifications include knowledge of communications protocol such as BACnet, Lonworks, ModBus, or SCADA. Experience working with emergency power systems and automatic transfer switches is also preferred.

http://bit.ly/1e1d83E

Facilities electrical engineer: Did you think electric-powered Jamie Foxx was cool in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2?" That still won't get you a job at the gigafactory but an electric engineering degree might. Energy management is the name of the game for this position and whoever undertakes it is expected to not only know the gigafactory's electrical system inside and out but also come up with solutions to improve efficiency for energy usage to help lower manufacturing costs at the same time.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Microsoft Office proficiency, and way better communication skills than Foxx's "Electro" character in Spider-Man.

http://bit.ly/1JHQCbm

Facilities manager: Managing a store at the mall is one thing. But managing a $5 billion project? No pressure, right? The gigafactory manager's responsibilities include cost estimation, cost control, project and resource planning, and making progress reports. The manager will also deal with suppliers, contractors, government agencies and even landlords. Oh yeah, this person will be responsible for coordinating with other Tesla teams to make sure the build-out of the gigafactory is done on time. Again, no pressure. Once the gigafactory is built, the manager will transition to maintaining facility operations.

Requirements: Five years manufacturing experience in either production, engineering or facilities. Experience with management and Microsoft applications such as Excel and PowerPoint. An engineering degree is not required but is a plus.

http://bit.ly/1GpLTKw

Facilities mechanical engineer: The dream job for someone who wants to have a hand in designing the mechanical side of manufacturing for the gigafactory. The mechanical engineer is responsible for manufacturing plant designs, testing and verification of those of plans and systems, production tooling, developing manufacturing facility requirements and providing input for sourcing and supplying of equipment.

Requirements: Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering as well as knowhow about lightweight, recyclable and sustainable materials and the manufacturing process.

http://bit.ly/1Mm5MlX

Industrial engineer: It's like Sim City for a factory. The industrial engineer is part of the team that creates the layout of the facility, including each individual factory line and shipping and receiving areas — essentially creating the ideal flow for materials and warehousing. The person in the role is expected to do lots of analysis and data gathering as well as being technically sound, demonstrating an understanding of concepts such as thermal and energy efficiency, for example.

Requirements: A Bachelor's or Master of Science degree in Industrial, Mechanical or Manufacturing Engineering and at least two years experience designing factories or production systems. Experience with lithium-ion cell or battery manufacturing, factories with clean and dry rooms and AutoCAD 2D is beneficial.

http://bit.ly/1duLuLo

Inventory analyst: Do you like counting beans and neatly organizing your CD and DVD collection alphabetically? The gigafactory's inventory analyst is in charge of managing materials supply, warehousing and distribution. The person is also in charge of returning goods and reducing excess and obsolete inventory.

Requirements: Tesla prefers a Bachelor's of Science degree in a technical field plus five years experience in inventory analysis, production control, materials management or materials planning. Having advanced knowledge of Excel and certification from the American Production and Inventory Control Society is also beneficial.

http://bit.ly/1Ho71l1

Logistics analyst: Get ready for lots of paperwork. The logistics analyst is responsible for acquiring and auditing payment approval for invoices as well as vetting suppliers and making recommendations on where to source products from. The analyst also works closely with the finance department in relation to transportation contracts and invoice payments. Tesla requires the person to also have knowledge about foreign trade zones, customs bonds, customs clearance, and taxes and duties. It essentially deals with shipping and transportation.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree in related field, financial accounting knowledge and strong familiarity with purchasing processes such as invoicing, SOP's, RFQ's, and PO's. If you don't know what those are, then this really isn't the job for you.

http://bit.ly/1HoakbU

Manager of process/equipment engineering: This position acts like fertilizer for the manufacturing process. The person is responsible for optimizing the aforementioned manufacturing process in order to reduce costs and boost production — all the while maintaining or even improving quality.

Requirements: A Bachelor's in industrial, electrical or mechanical engineering is required as well as five years experience in process engineering for manufacturing. The person also must have experience in the ramp up of a new product assembly and knowledge of concepts such as Final Assembly and Test and Pack as well as Production Part Approval Process.

http://bit.ly/1GxpRHC

Manager of production control: This production control manager is like a traffic cop that facilitates the smooth flow of materials through the factory. This includes passage through receiving, the stockroom, floor, and shipping areas while also ensuring the lowest possible cost for freight and administration expenses, as well as materials management

Requirements: No degree listed but Tesla wants management ability and five to seven years of experience with a manufacturing operation.

http://bit.ly/1JDjnaJ

Manager of quality: There's a Breaking Benjamin song called "Failure." The quality manager is required to be intimately knowledgeable about the impact of failure in a manufacturing operation, including the ways to prevent it, identify failure when it does happen and properly address it. Ultimately, the goal is to boost the system's reliability and improving quality in the process.

Requirements: Tesla did not list any degrees for this job but mentioned knowledge of failure analysis techniques such as "failure mode and effects analysis" or FMEA.

http://bit.ly/1GbS9nS

Material handler: If you've ever worked for a company such as FedEx, UPS or DHL, here's your chance to leverage your experience into a gigafactory job. Material handlers are responsible for picking, pulling and packing parts as well as doing inventory auditing procedures known as cycle counts.

Requirements: No degrees listed but material handlers are expected to be able to lift up to 50 pounds. They also must be familiar with using Excel and be comfortable with using equipment such as computers, scanners and other technology. Three years experience with shipping companies such as FedEx and UPS is considered a plus.

http://bit.ly/1S2wF1S

Planner: Another position related to materials and inventory management. The planner is required to analyze the flow of materials in relation to the gigafactory's production cycle and use that to come up with production forecasts for suppliers and determine adequate counts for materials purchasing to maintain optimal inventory levels.

Requirements: A Bachelor of Science degree in a related field and three or more years experience in production control, materials management, production planning, material delivery scheduling or purchasing. Knowledge of Excel, Enovia or Matrix One PLM helps.

http://bit.ly/1JI6M4I

Process engineer: This job is all about getting in line, as in making sure the manufacturing line and all related processes are performing optimally. The process engineer is required to develop picking strategies, use his or her technical knowledge to propose innovations to tooling and assembly fixtures, and also train operators.

Requirements: No specific degree was listed but knowledge of concepts such as lean manufacturing, 5S initiatives and Standard Time Data is required.

http://bit.ly/1FN2pR6

Production associate: This position literally requires skilled hands as it involves assembling electro-mechanical components on either a production or prototype basis. Besides being able to work with complex and detailed instructions or documentation, associates also need to troubleshoot and rework products if needed.

Requirements: A high school diploma and at least three years experience doing complex electro-mechanical assembly work. Written and verbal understanding of English is required as well as the ability to lift 30 pounds to 50 pounds.

http://bit.ly/1GB0G6Y

Project engineer: Tesla's job description states that the project engineer will assist with gigafactory infrastructure. More specifically, the project engineer will help design and construct advanced manufacturing facilities with an emphasis on output efficiency and carbon neutrality.

Requirements: A Bachelors degree in engineering plus three or more years of construction experience for high-tech infrastructure and facilities that deal with products such as semiconductors, batteries and solar technology. The person also must have a working knowledge of hazardous material safety protocols as well as OSHA and UBC codes.

http://bit.ly/1JIWnHn

Quality engineer: This job is for folks who have spent quality time in the development of vehicle level requirements for assemblies, components and subsystems. Like the quality manager, this position also requires knowledge of "failure mode and effects analysis" or FMEA. The quality manager also must be familiar with statistical tolerancing, Monte Carlo analysis and other techniques used to analyze and investigate the effects of part and process variability.

Requirements: A Bachelor's of Science in engineering is required. A Master's degree in engineering is also preferred. Must have at least five year's experience working with complex electro-mechanical systems. Experience with Design Validation Testing (DVT) techniques, including HALT and HASS testing is needed and Six Sigma Black Belt certification is preferred.

http://bit.ly/1Tf6RBd

Quality technician: The quality technician inspects and verifies products and processes at the gigafactory as well as providing analysis and reports related to improving quality control. The technician also must be able to identify and address potential material issues and make sure that nonconforming material is properly dispositioned, tracked, and reported.

Requirements: High school diploma with a two-year degree preferred. Must have two to five years experience in a quality control role for manufacturing, be able to interpret basic mechanical drawings and use basic measurement tools such as calipers, micrometers and thread gauges. Familiarity with industry standards such as SO 9001:2000 or ISO/TS 16949 helps.

http://bit.ly/1B9PDzn

Remanufacturing technician: This technician is like a jack of all trades, doing a wide range of work such as record keeping of inventory and repair histories, routing electrical cables and harnesses, and operating automated equipment such as wire bonders, sheet testers, electronic test equipment and automated welders.

Requirements: High school diploma and at least two years experience in assembling and repairing electro-mechanical components. A proficiency in hand and computer-based tools as well as knowledge of high voltage DC battery systems would be very beneficial.

http://bit.ly/1SbhG5Z

Senior manager of production: This management position focuses on ensuring high manufacturing yields and quality at the gigafactory while also making sure that best safety practices are observed and resources are used in the most optimal way. The manager will be responsible for overseeing and training the hourly production team and collaborating with other departments such as engineering, sales, marketing and finance.

Requirements: Ten years experience in manufacturing and three years of supervisory or management experience is required. A Bachelors of Science in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering is also preferred. Hands-on experience with electro-mechanical assembly and proficiency with Microsoft Office also needed.

http://bit.ly/1B8al2S

Senior manager for supply chain: Better have some solid negotiating skills. This position is at the front lines when it comes to identifying suppliers and contract manufacturers as well as establishing a smooth and cost-effective supply chain to support not just electric vehicle assembly but research and development. Also requires analytical knowhow for things like managing cash flow, excess materials and materials obsolescence.

Requirements: Requires at least a Bachelors of Science degree in a technical field and seven years of experience working with materials or manufacturing. Must be proficient in Excel, Power Point, Word, PDM, purchasing systems, manufacturing software such as SAP, material costs and status tracking systems.

http://bit.ly/1IOobtZ

Service assistant: Hey, you can look and touch. This job is for folks who want to work with the actual electric vehicles that Tesla makes at the gigafactory. The service assistant is responsible for cleaning vehicles, delivering them between departments such as production, service and sales, working as a parts runner, and doing other miscellaneous jobs.

Requirements: High school diploma or equivalent. A valid driver's license and clean driving record with at least two years of driving experience. You also must be insurable. Assistants also are expected to be able to lift 50 to 60 pounds.

http://bit.ly/1C3bQu6

Service manager: Customer service is the name of the game for the service manager, who will be working with customers about their maintenance and repair needs and providing technical support at the store. Other responsibilities include managing the shop team, looking at warranty and cost savings, maintaining records, ordering shop supplies, inspecting equipment and operating various tools.

Requirements: A high school diploma or equivalent plus an Associate Degree in Automotive Technology. Also must have worked two to five years in service management at a franchised dealer with experience with hybrid vehicles considered a plus. Valid driver's license and insurance, ASE certifications A1-A8, Factory Trained Master Status and OEM training, and certification to repair air conditioning systems and handle refrigerant required.

http://bit.ly/1JOx84X

Service technician: Looking to fix and work on Tesla's cars? Then this is the job for you. Tasks include inspecting, servicing and repairing Tesla electric vehicles as well as pre-delivery inspection of new vehicles. Must be able to operate a variety of tools and deliver customer vehicles using a full-size van and 20-foot trailer. Will be based in the gigafactory service center but might be required to travel once in a while.

Requirements: A high school diploma and clean driving record. Retail automotive service experience and an Associate Degree or Certificate in Automotive Technology is a plus.

http://bit.ly/1JOxPeA

Senior technical recruiter: If you've got an eye for talent and consider yourself a great judge of character, then this just might be your calling. The senior technical recruiter is tasked with finding qualified folks to staff the gigafactory. This includes knowledge of various avenues to find good candidates, whether it be cold calling, professional organizations, networking, internet postings, university relations and other sources.

Requirements: A Bachelor of Arts or Science degree is required as well as proficiency with using a PC, Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel. Knowledge of employment laws is preferred.

http://bit.ly/1GjkmZT

Supervisor of production: This position oversees the gigafactory assembly team to ensure they meet aggressive production goals while maintaining quality and ensuring no defects make it through the assembly area. The supervisor also will be responsible for developing training programs and hiring plans for team members.

Requirements: At least a Bachelor of Science degree and knowledge of Microsoft Office programs. Also requires at least five years experience working in high-tech electromechanical manufacturing environment plus three years of managing production teams.

http://bit.ly/1MwjxOM

Training associate: This one's for folks who want to be involved in molding the gigafactory staff. The person will be responsible for working with other departments to create training plans and schedules, as well as training new hires and cross-training current associates.

Requirements: Two to three years experience in training employees plus proficiency with Microsoft Office. Must also know Learning Management System software.

http://bit.ly/1MwkkiO

Workplace manager: Nobody wants to work at a terrible work environment. This job ensures that the gigafactory workplace doesn't end up being just that. The manager will regularly come up with projects for improving the look and feel of the workplace including employee amenities, spacing and desk layout. During construction, the manager is also expected to provide proactive supervision to help maximize labor efficiency across all trades. The person is also responsible for procuring equipment and maintaining material inventory and quality.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree in Construction Management of Engineering is ideal. Five to seven years experience in managing facilities, developing office properties or managing construction projects is required. Microsoft Office proficiency is a must.

http://bit.ly/1FYNClh