Sr. Manager, Strategic Pre Development & Site Strategy

About the role

Sr. Manager, Strategic Pre Development & Site Strategy | Tesla (Construction & Facilities)

Location: Palo Alto, California | Req ID: 281662 | Job Type: Full-time

What to Expect

Tesla seeks a leader to serve as the North Star for long-term site strategy and pre-development across our most ambitious multi-billion dollar capital programs. This role owns the front end of site identification, evaluation, securing, and readiness for facilities that will shape Tesla’s trajectory over the next 15–20 years—including advanced manufacturing, R&D hubs, refining and heavy industrial operations, corporate campuses, and other high-impact infrastructure.

You will drive enterprise-level site and capacity strategy, translate product and growth roadmaps into physical reality, and ensure every site delivers on technical, power, infrastructure, zoning, incentive, and operational requirements.

This is not a facilitative role. We need a polished political genius, strategic lobbyist, and decisive operator, who commands genuine executive presence. You will lead and align multiple organizations that do not report to you, set expectations at the highest levels, drive process with absolute ownership, and be fully accountable for the decisions made.

Success is measured by the quality of site selections, utility and long-lead alignments, incentives realized versus the business plan, risk mitigation, and the foundational success of mega-projects.

What You'll Do

• Lead long-range (15–20 year) site and capacity strategy across manufacturing, R&D, refining/heavy industrial, and corporate growth initiatives. Align multiple organizations (Engineering, Manufacturing/Operations, Product, Real Estate, Finance, Infrastructure, Project Controls, Legal, Government Affairs, and others) without direct authority
• Own end-to-end pre-development: site identification and multi-criteria screening, shortlisting and selection, land lease/purchase strategy and due diligence, utility/infrastructure feasibility (power, gas, water, wastewater, industrial gases, telecom), architectural/civil/layout/constructability assessments, zoning/entitlements/permitting/environmental reviews, and power infrastructure studies (grid, substations, long-lead upgrades)
• Drive Executive Level Alignment—set expectations, deliver recommendation and go/no-go packages, and ensure site and incentive assumptions are accurately reflected and defended in business plans with Finance
• Maintain full accountability for site decisions, utility and long-lead equipment alignments, incentive capture (delivering what was sold to the business), and clean residual risk transfer at handoff
• Orchestrate cross-functional workstreams with TPM rigor: integrated schedules, risk registers, stage-gate reviews, dependency resolution, and high-quality deliverables. Translate Manufacturing, Engineering, Product, and growth requirements into precise site criteria
• Build high-impact external relationships with landowners, utilities, government authorities, economic development agencies, and consultants. Lead incentive negotiations, entitlement strategy, and navigation of complex political/regulatory environments

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Architectural, Civil, Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical or related), Construction Management, Real Estate, Urban/City Planning, Political Science, Public Policy, or equivalent
• 12+ years of high-impact experience in strategic site selection, pre-development, corporate/economic development, technical program leadership, government/regulatory affairs, or front-end roles for large-scale industrial, manufacturing, energy, refining, or major infrastructure/corporate growth projects
• Proven combination of technical depth (construction, engineering, city planning, power/infrastructure) and exceptional political, lobbying, legal/regulatory, or government-relations acumen. Experience in or adjacent to politics, economic development, policy, or high-stakes stakeholder environments is a strong plus
• Deep knowledge of zoning/entitlements, environmental due diligence, utility interconnection and power systems, industrial site infrastructure, incentives, early constructability, and long-term capacity planning
• Demonstrated ability to build teams, manage top-tier consultants, create rigorous processes, and operate with extreme ownership and accountability
• Outstanding analytical, commercial, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to simplify complexity for executives
• Willingness to travel extensively to sites, agencies, and stakeholder meetings

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)

Expected Compensation$144,000 - $288,000/annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefitsPay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.