Manufacturing Process Engineer – Development Ops

Starlink; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to lead development operations on Starlink hardware, driving tooling and automation on the shop floor and ensuring alignment with program milestones.

You will own fabrication processes, work with internal and external suppliers, and contribute to design reviews for manufacturability and reliability. This role requires hands-on problem solving, strong cross-functional collaboration, and a focus on safety and throughput.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in manufacturing, mechanical, industrial, or a related engineering discipline.
• 2+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, tooling design, automation cell build, and/or production of mechanical or electrical hardware systems.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary liaison between automation, supply chain, production, and development operations so factory tooling and automation are built and deployed to meet program milestones
• Develop and implement manufacturing processes and shop workflows that increase throughput, efficiency, and personnel safety
• Manage the build, configuration, and installation of all modular automation assets in the team’s catalog, from raw-material purchase through cell build, integration and handoff to automation and production
• Work with peer engineering and support teams to drive design updates in response to manufacturing issues, tooling constraints, part obsolescence, and requirement changes
• Prepare the engineering documentation required to move hardware from development to production, including assembly and integration work instructions and manufacturing bills of materials
• Work with internal and external suppliers to fabricate piece parts and subassemblies at rate, or to supplement internal capacity
• Contribute to design reviews as the manufacturing expert on design for manufacturability, design for reliability, design for maintenance, shop capability, and quality control
• Spearhead manufacturing strategy, including cycle time and make-versus-buy to meet or exceed departmental objectives without compromising quality
• Design, develop, validate, and implement production tooling so the process is repeatable and efficient
• Serve as the primary point of contact for nonconforming product on cells, panels, and tooling, and lead troubleshooting, root-cause investigation, and corrective action
• Develop training requirements for technicians and specialists to increase the team’s capability, productivity and safety
• Spearhead machine tool purchases to increase development shop capability including machine selection, proposal creation, ROI calculation and align with shop supervisors to meet program need
• Work creatively and innovate to support SpaceX's goals by always being prepared to challenge requirements, remove blockers and accelerate program schedule

Skills

Manufacturing projects

Automation

Tooling design

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in manufacturing, mechanical, industrial, or related engineering

Tools

SQL

AI tools

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to lead development operations on Starlink hardware, driving tooling and automation on the shop floor and ensuring alignment with program milestones.

You will own fabrication processes, work with internal and external suppliers, and contribute to design reviews for manufacturability and reliability. This role requires hands-on problem solving, strong cross-functional collaboration, and a focus on safety and throughput.