As it works to increase sales volumes, Tesla has some ambitious plans for the next few years.

The carmaker has several large projects in the works, including its Nevada battery "Gigafactory," the 200-mile Model 3 $35,000 electric car, and continued development of its Autopilot autonomous-driving technology.

So perhaps it's not surprising that Tesla has quite a few job openings at the moment.

DON'T MISS: Custom Tesla Model X Thanks Company's Veterans, Model S Too

There were 1,656 Tesla job listings as of Monday afternoon, according to Bloomberg. They appear to be mostly engineering and sales or service jobs.

At the October unveiling of Autopilot, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company had about 14,000 employees, with only a small contingent working on the autonomous system.

But subsequently tweeted that Tesla was looking for "hardcore software engineers" to expand the Autopilot team.

Tesla Model S undergoing assembly

Tesla Model S undergoing assembly

Musk called the project "super high priority," saying he would interview candidates personally, and that Autopilot engineers report directly to him.

The company's release of what it calls a beta version of self-driving software has raised eyes in the usually risk-averse global auto industry.

Tesla is also continuing to expand its network of retail stores and service centers, and appears to be seeking more staff.

ALSO SEE: Tesla CEO Musk Seeks 'Hardcore' Engineers To Beef Up Autopilot Software

It will open stores in Mexico City and Edinburgh this week.

Monday's job listings included one for a service manager in Mexico City, as well as product specialists in Amsterdam, Milan, Shanghai, and Chengdu.

And while Tesla has lots of openings to fill, it also appears to have a large pool of applicants to choose from.

2012 Tesla Model S painting process

2012 Tesla Model S painting process

In the last 14 months, the company received 1.5 million applications from around the world, Tesla vice president of human resources Arnnon Geshuri said in a phone interview with Bloomberg.

At its recent third-quarter earnings call, Tesla also announced a pair of new executive hirings.

MORE: Tesla Hiring At Second California Facility, Ex-Chrysler Plant (Apr 2014)

It named Jason Wheeler--formerly of Google--as its new chief financial officer. He will replace Tesla's retiring CFO, Deepak Ahuja.

Tesla also hired Jon McNeill--former CEO of insurance-software company Enservio--as head of global sales and service.

_______________________________________________

Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter