Associate Manager Freight Pay Audit (m/w/d) - Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg

Freight Pay Audit (FPA) is the control layer between Tesla's EMEA logistics operations and accounts payable: every freight invoice is validated against contracted rates and supporting documents before payment is released. As Associate Manager, you will lead this team and own on-time, accurate payment of logistics invoices across EMEA.

You will lead a team of 6 Logistics Financial Analysts, accountable for audit throughput and quality, dispute resolution, KPI reporting, and team development. You will work closely with Logistics, Finance, Procurement, and a large EMEA carrier base. The successful candidate is a self-starter who can run a high-volume operational process while continuously improving it.

- Lead, coach and develop a team of 6 Logistics Financial Analysts
- Own on-time freight invoice payment across EMEA — plan capacity, prioritize work by due date, carrier, amount or risk, and ensure validated invoices are released within agreed SLAs
- Ensure end-to-end audit quality: invoices checked against contracted rates, shipment evidence and Tesla payment rules
- Drive dispute resolution with carriers — maintain a transparent aging view, assign owners and chase to closure
- Define, own and report FPA KPIs to logistics and finance leadership
- Build a 12–18 month roadmap for automation and process simplification across audit, reporting and carrier communication
- Partner with Finance on accruals and month-/quarter-end close; partner with Procurement on contract interpretation and recurring overbill patterns
- Serve as the structured interface to carriers, operations, logistics and AP

- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, Logistics or equivalent experience
- 3+ years in freight payables, invoice audit, logistics finance or a comparable high-volume AP/audit process; people-leadership experience strongly preferred
- Solid grasp of freight finance concepts: accruals, VAT/tax on transport, invoice vs. contract vs. service validation
- Bias for process, documentation and automation — experience improving a manual audit process is a plus
- On-site presence at Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg required
- Fluent English required; German is a plus
- Strong values around people, ethics and team culture
- Candidates are expected to uphold and actively promote sustainability principles in their daily work, operating in line with Tesla Global Environmental, Health, Safety & Security (EHS&S) Policy and EMAS requirements, fostering a culture of continuous environmental improvement.