Lead, Supplier Development Engineer

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Paid time off

Equity in the company

Job summary

K2 Space in Los Angeles is looking for a Lead Supplier Development Engineer to define and implement strategies ensuring top-tier supplier quality for high-rate production. You will build and lead a team focused on maintaining quality standards while growing supplier capabilities.

Candidates should possess a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and a minimum of 3 years in a relevant role. Competitive salary, benefits, and equity options are provided. This position also entails collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, and procurement teams.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in a quality, reliability, supply chain, or engineering role.
• Experience managing vendors and strategic technical partners.
• Ability to travel 25-50% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Build supplier development engineering team to achieve production targets.
• Manage Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) and reliability campaigns.
• Evaluate supplier quality performance and drive improvements.

Skills

Quality standards

Vendor management

Data analytics

Strong communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline

Tools

ISO 9001

Lean concepts

Job description

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and U.S. government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we’re Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you’re excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.

The Role

As the Lead, Supplier Development Engineer within the Supply Chain organization at K2 Space, you will be responsible for defining and implementing supplier development strategies for the company. In this role, you will build and lead a team that owns supplier development to ensure quality standards are met and enable high‑rate production. You will lead the charge on defining processes that continuously evaluate suppliers, working with them to develop their process and improving their ability to support the company’s needs. This role will have high visibility and impact across the organization. You will work closely with engineering, manufacturing, and procurement teams to grow and mature suppliers into strategic partners in support of company critical missions.

Responsibilities

• Build the supplier development engineering team and define processes to achieve short‑term build targets and a ramp to high‑rate production.
• Assess supplier capabilities, technologies, and their ability to successfully execute manufacturing requirements.
• Manage Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), rate, and reliability campaigns to enable production.
• Lead containment, issue ticket resolution, and supplier corrective action efforts.
• Evaluate supplier quality performance and drive improvements, using scorecards and audits, to ensure compliance to quality standards.
• Define and oversee a standardized qualification process for suppliers from development tier to flight tier.
• Provide program leadership necessary input to ensure that product quality, delivery, and cost achieve business and customer expectations.
• Interface with responsible engineering, production teams, and procurement to define production roadmaps aligned with company goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
• 3+ years in a quality, reliability, supply chain, or engineering role
• Strong understanding of quality standards and tools (ISO 9001, AS9100, PPAP)
• Experience managing vendors, suppliers, and strategic technical partners
• Ability to travel up 25‑50% of the time

Nice to Have

• 1+ years in a management role
• Expert level knowledge in mechanical commodities such as machined parts, mechanisms, and composites and/or avionics commodities such as harnessing and PCBs/PCBA
• Knowledge of Lean concepts
• Experience in a new product introduction environment
• Experience in root cause and corrective action activities
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with data analytics and SQL

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $130,000 – $175,000 + equity in the company
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity Employer

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.