Jena Huskey, a talent acquisition specialist with the automotive assembly plant being built in Limestone County, said Thursday that the company will continue to accept applications until an “adequate volume” of applications for the current phase is met.

“Hiring for our production team members will happen in a phased approach,” with the company committed to thoroughly reviewing every application that’s received, she said during an AIDT Facebook event to announce application information. “Hiring will continue to pause and resume in phases based on volume and requirements now through 2022.”

AIDT is the hiring and recruiting arm of the state Department of Commerce.

Mazda Toyota spokeswoman Toni Eberhart said the latest hiring phase will mean “hundreds of jobs” to be filled.

“We don’t have a specific target number,” she said.

The company has already hired about 850 employees, including administrative, facilities and maintenance and production staff, according to Eberhart. Production is scheduled to start next year.

Huskey said she considers production employees, who will work in stamping, body weld, paint and assembly shops, “the most critical to the success of the plant.”

“At full production, we are going to have close to 4,000 employees, and production members represent over 3,000 of those,” she said.

Huskey explained the steps involved, starting with an online application and assessment, then an on-site, hands-on “day of work” assessment, which gives an applicant exposure to the work they can expect to perform, at the AIDT/Mazda Toyota assessment center in Huntsville.

A drug screening, physical and background check are also part of the process, according to Huskey. She said applicants must be at least 18 years old and be able to perform essential functions of various manufacturing positions. The physical demands of the jobs include standing for long periods of time, moderate lifting and repetitive motions, according to Huskey. The starting wage is $17 an hour with a top grow-in wage of $23 an hour.

The online application process will begin at 8 a.m. Monday at mazdatoyta.com.

The Limestone County facility near Madison will manufacture up to 150,000 units of a future Mazda crossover vehicle and up to 150,000 units of a yet-to-be announced Toyota SUV each year, according to the company. The company is investing $2.3 billion in the complex.