Technical Project Economist, Battery Minerals & Metals

What to Expect

Critical metals, battery materials, and recycling are essential to all aspects of our future. As a Technical Project Economist, you will be an essential member of Tesla’s metals and materials group, you will help drive operational decision making through detailed cost-of-good-sold (COGs) and more sophisticated economic analyses.You will help shape in-house technologies by providing economic guidance to support technology selection and trade-off analyses.You will collaborate closely with Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, and business Leadership to inform material sourcing strategies, budgeting, forecasting, and future projects.The role offers the opportunity to make a direct impact on Tesla’s mission by ensuring the economic efficiency of our cutting-edge materials programs.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and maintain details COGS models for battery recycling and other battery materials projects.This will provide insights to guide technology development, materials sourcing strategies and future plant design
• Support various team projects through budget planning and tracking
• Perform comprehensive technoeconomic analyses of various business verticals or industries to help select best-in-class technologies.You will collaborate closely with materials engineers and Programs team member
• Analyze operational data to identify opportunities for cost optimization and process improvements, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives
• Collaborate with the Finance team to integrate new technologies and processes into economic models that enable broader budgeting, financial forecasting and decision making
• Partner with Programs, Operations and Business Leadership to provide actionable financial analysis that supports strategic decision-making
• Monitor market trends and raw material, and commodity costs to inform sourcing strategies and new project initiatives
• Track various initiatives to provide both economic and project-planning support
• Present economic analyses and recommendations to stakeholders at various levels, translating complex data into clear, actionable insights
• Support long-term planning by modeling scenarios for new technologies under consideration

What You’ll Bring

• Degree in Engineering, Economics, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years of experience in chemical, petrochemical, or oil and gas industries, ideally as an Economist, Business Analyst, or Optimization Engineer within a refinery or manufacturing environment
• Strong expertise in cost modeling, financial analysis, and budgeting, with the ability to build and maintain complex economic models
• Proficiency in data analysis tools and software (e.g., Excel, Tableau, or similar); experience with ERP systems is a plus
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial concepts to diverse audiences, including operational teams and senior leadership
• A proactive, problem-solving mindset with a passion for driving efficiency and innovation in a fast-paced environment
• Alignment with Tesla’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy