START Supervisor, External Programs

What to Expect This role leads START interns through their time at the factory and at Austin Community College: setting expectations, coaching performance, and making sure they leave ready for real manufacturing work. You will be their primary Tesla lead, the link to ACC and factory partners, and the person who keeps the intern experience structured, safe, and worth the investment. The work is hands-on people leadership in a changing environment—you will track performance in the data, make decisions without a perfect brief, and hold a high bar because good work here is noticed and rewarded.

What You'll Do Lead and supervise START interns day to day—attendance, performance, professionalism, and floor readiness—and hold the line on safety, professionalism, and Tesla standards with every intern and visitor

Own the intern experience end to end: onboarding, issue resolution, conversion toward Tesla roles, and one-on-one coaching on systems, processes, and role-specific tasks until they can do the work with confidence

Track intern data through the external programs dashboard and Tesla timekeeping systems; use it to spot issues early and act

Serve as the primary point of contact for START interns during their time at Austin Community College and travel to ACC as needed to support them on site

Facilitate in-person onboarding and training for START manufacturing groups of various sizes, and keep program materials and expectations current so interns are not trained on stale processes

Run High School / Tesla Engagement days at Giga Texas so students get a clear, useful introduction to the factory

Partner with manufacturing, recruiting, ACC, and training teams so intern assignments match real work, real standards, and hiring needs; gather feedback from interns, partners, and hiring managers to improve completion, job readiness, and intern pipeline quality

What You'll Bring Strong people management, with a track record of supervising, coaching, or leading interns, apprentices, or early-career employees—not just coordinating a calendar. Preferred: Tesla START, intern programs, community colleges, or other school-to-work pipelines

Hands-on, dynamic leadership: you embrace change, stay close to the work, and make sound decisions in an ambiguous environment

Strong analytical ability, organization, and attention to detail, including comfort tracking people and performance through dashboards and timekeeping systems. Preferred: familiarity with Tesla processes, Giga Texas operations, START delivery, or Tesla timekeeping systems

Strong communication skills, equally comfortable in a large-group setting and in a direct one-on-one

The ability to take complex manufacturing and technical work and make it clear, practical, and teachable. Preferred: manufacturing, maintenance, or high-volume operations background

Judgment, empathy, and a service mindset—interns should feel supported without the standard dropping. Preferred: prior training, onboarding, or workforce-development experience

Willingness to work on-site at Giga Texas and travel to Austin Community College as the programs require

Benefits

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

Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction

Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits

Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution

Company Paid (Health Savings Accounts) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High-Deductible medical plan with HSA

Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits

Company paid Basic Life, AD&D

Short-term and long-term disability insurance (90 day waiting period)

Employee Assistance Program

Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions, Accrued hours for Hourly positions), and Paid Holidays

Back-up childcare and parenting support resources

Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance

Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs

Tesla Babies program

Commuter benefits

Employee discounts and perks program

Earned Wage Access: Real-time pay access paid daily, subject to eligibility and schedule (applicable for below Sr. Managers levels)

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.