After Tesla ($TSLA) reported soft numbers, it announced a plan to raise $2 billion from stock and bond offerings in order to re-invest in itself. Most analysts see this as a positive — a way forward for the electric car maker.
Another good sign for Tesla, though, and one that's more easily quantifiable, is a small but real rise in hiring activity, with a particular focus on customer service, sales, and engineering specialists.
Tesla hiring activity had been on a steep decline since the new year, but that has turned around in the past month.
Openings in April were down to 871, but as of last week, Tesla listed 1,040 openings on its careers site. That's the first hiring acceleration we've seen from the company since June 2018.
The most common opening is for Delivery Experience Specialists, Vehicle Readiness Specialists, Vehicle Prep Specialists, and Customer Experience Specialists.
|
Title |
Title (Count) |
|---|---|
|
Delivery Experience Specialist |
38 |
|
Vehicle Readiness Specialist |
26 |
|
Vehicle Prep Specialist |
23 |
|
Customer Experience Specialist |
17 |
|
Vehicle Movement Specialist |
13 |
|
Senior Front End Software Engineer, React |
12 |
|
Service Advisor |
8 |
|
Part-time Delivery Experience Specialist |
7 |
|
IT Helpdesk Technician |
6 |
|
Associate Gallery Manager - Charlotte Matthews |
5 |
|
Associate Service Manager - Buffalo, NY |
5 |
|
Production Associate |
5 |
|
Associate Store Manager - West Grand |
5 |
|
Service Advisor - Sunnyvale |
5 |
|
Service Technician - Pensacola, FL |
5 |
|
Associate Service Manager -Latham, NY |
5 |
|
Service Advisor - Dublin |
5 |
|
Sr. Manufacturing Engineer - Body |
5 |
|
Sr. Staff Manufacturing Engineer - Body |
5 |
|
Store Manager - City Center |
5 |
Of particular note here is that all of those openings are for individuals who will get new Teslas into the hands of customers, a clear sign that Tesla has renewed its focus on moving vehicles and generating revenue. While that may sound overly obvious, there was a time not too long ago that Tesla CEO Elon Musk pondered shutting down Tesla's retail presence in order to reduce lease and employee overhead.
Also of note in the newly posted job listings is that a vast majority of them — outside of the aforementioned sales positions — are to be located at Tesla's Fremont, California manufacturing facility. This is a clear indication that Tesla intents to once again ramp up car design and production after months of declining hiring at Fremont.
|
Location Text |
Title (Count) |
|---|---|
|
Fremont, California |
88 |
|
Chicago, Illinois |
21 |
|
Marina Del Rey, California |
20 |
|
Shanghai, Shanghai |
18 |
|
Dallas, Texas |
14 |
|
Highland Park, Illinois |
13 |
|
Palo Alto, California |
13 |
|
Washington, District of Columbia |
13 |
|
Brentwood, Tennessee |
12 |
|
Buena Park, California |
11 |
Of the 88 openings in Fremont, 32 are slated for Engineering & Information Technology professionals followed by 16 for Sales & Customer support.
|
Category |
Title (Count) |
|---|---|
|
Engineering & Information Technology |
32 |
|
Sales & Customer Support |
16 |
|
HR |
15 |
|
Finance |
8 |
|
Supply Chain |
7 |
|
Manufacturing |
6 |
|
Marketing & Communications |
2 |
|
Operations & Business Support |
2 |
With the $2 billion cash infusion and a renewed eye on moving cars, Tesla appears to be getting a bit of a second wind here. Its hiring sprees are often followed by sales and car delivery accelerations, so be on the lookout for those numbers as the company reinvests in what matters most: designing, making, and selling cars.
