Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Injection Molding (Starlink)

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP is looking for a Senior Manufacturing Engineer for their injection molding team in Bastrop, TX. The role focuses on optimizing and developing manufacturing processes for Starlink hardware while ensuring efficient production lines capable of high-volume output.

Ideal candidates possess a Bachelor's degree in engineering or physics with relevant experience in manufacturing. Skills in automation and process optimization are crucial for this position.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for test (DFT) best practices.
• Knowledge of gauge repeatability and reproducibility, and statistical process control.

Responsibilities

• Develop manufacturing processes for Starlink hardware.
• Implement high-volume production processes for injection molding.
• Manage production line tooling and inventory.

Skills

Plastic injection molding

Process optimization

Automation implementation

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or physics

Advanced degree in engineering

Tools

NX

Teamcenter

ERP systems

MRP systems

MES systems

Job description

Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Injection Molding (Starlink)

Bastrop, TX

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

At SpaceX we’re leveraging our experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and is providing fast, reliable internet to millions of users worldwide. We design, build, test, and operate all parts of the system – thousands of satellites, consumer receivers that allow users to connect within minutes of unboxing, and the software that brings it all together. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink’s potential global impact and are looking for best‑in‑class engineers to help maximize Starlink’s utility for communities and businesses around the world.

As a Manufacturing Engineer at SpaceX you will have the opportunity to utilize your knowledge, experience and creativity to develop novel solutions at the cutting edge of technology. We are looking for a talented engineer to sustain our current plastic injection molding production lines and help ramp our new lines to full scale production for millions of devices that will sit in our customers’ homes.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for development of plastic injection molding manufacturing processes for Starlink hardware
• Responsible for the development of the injection molding process through parameter optimization, DOE experiments, and trials that will lead to a robust process
• Responsible for implementing plug‑and‑play processes to production that are capable of high volume throughput (1M+ per year)
• Take direct ownership of the physical production layout, optimizing for material flow from material receiving through processes on the line
• Identify and implement safety improvement projects
• Manage strategy for production line tooling, inventory, training, and build process and ensure all are updated according to the latest design configuration
• Drive design for test (DFT) best practices and design for manufacturing (DFM) with design engineers and test engineers
• Identify automation opportunities and establish requirements as well as evaluating return on investment for each
• Work with in‑house resources or vendors as necessary to develop these solutions and implement on production line
• Support production line with technical issues that cannot be addressed immediately on the line

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or physics
• 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment via professional work experience, project/research‑based student experience, or a combination of both

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Advanced degree in an engineering discipline
• Direct experience with plastic injection molding
• Ability to design tooling for high volume manufacturing
• Ability to develop and maintain high performing suppliers and contract manufacturers
• Experience working in a highly adaptive and iterative environment
• Experience implementing automation into production processes
• Experience transitioning products from design to manufacturing and scaling to high volume as part of a cross‑functional team
• Experience with design of experiments, gauge repeatability and reproducibility, and process qualifications
• Experience defining production data requirements and statistical process control
• Experience with NX and Teamcenter
• Experience working with and defining requirements for ERP, MRP, and MES systems

Additional Requirements

• Must be willing and able to work extended hours and/or weekends with minimal notification as needed
• Able to travel for business trips up to 10% on an ongoing basis
• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here .

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX 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.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s affirmative action plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [e-mail].