Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, Tool & Die Machining (Starlink)

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equal Opportunity Employer

Reasonable accommodation for applicants

Job summary

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP, based in Bastrop, TX, is seeking an experienced engineer to lead the development of technologies for Starlink hardware manufacturing. The role requires 6+ years in high precision machining and a Bachelor's degree in engineering.

As part of your responsibilities, you will oversee manufacturing processes, collaborate with various teams, and manage project plans to ensure a smooth transition from R&D to production.

The position may involve travel and requires candidates to be U.S. citizens or legal residents.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional experience with high precision machining.
• Master’s degree or PhD in an engineering discipline preferred.
• Experience leading teams in manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead project development related to injection molding technologies.
• Manage engineering capacity, schedules, and project plans.
• Research new materials and manufacturing technologies.

Skills

High precision machining

3D CAD skills, advanced surfacing

Project management

Material selection

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, manufacturing, materials engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

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.

SpaceX is developing a low latency, broadband internet system to meet the needs of consumers across the globe. Enabled by a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites, Starlink will provide fast, reliable internet to populations with little or no connectivity, including those in rural communities and places where existing services are too expensive or unreliable.

Responsibilities

• Lead a project focused on the development of technologies relating to plastic injection molding and high pressure die casting tooling manufacturing processes for Starlink hardware
• Act as a technical decision maker and advisor to the team on manufacturing techniques responsible for implementing internal tool and die manufacturing
• Create collaborative business plans with design engineering, upstream production, and support teams and develop and maintain positive supplier/customer relationships
• Manage strategy for CapX, staffing, equipment specification, production layouts, training, and build process and ensure all are updated according to the latest design configuration
• Continually develop and manage engineering capacity, schedules, and project plans to support production manifest as well as a diverse and variable R&D demand
• Lead and refine the design for the manufacturing process by collaborating with supply management, product design, industrial design, and manufacturing engineering groups on material selection, design feasibility and aesthetics of new part & tooling designs
• Research and identify new materials, manufacturing technologies, and finishing options
• Inform estimations of prototype and production manufacturing costs - tooling, secondary assembly, secondary finishing, and piece part
• Publish and maintain detailed schedules for each development project segment

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, materials engineering, or other engineering discipline
• 6+ years of professional experience with high precision machining

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree or PhD in an engineering discipline
• 3+ years of experience in a leadership position in a manufacturing environment
• Experience with taking products from research and development into production
• Strong to expert level 3D CAD skills, including advanced surfacing and large assemblies
• Experience with Siemens NX
• Experience transitioning products from design to manufacturing and scaling to high volume as part of a cross‑functional team
• Experience with manufacturing process like injection molding, CNC, die casting, stamping, assembly, and box build in a production setting is preferred but not required
• A good understanding of the costs, schedule, and complexity associated with each process

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to travel to other SpaceX sites and/or vendors for significant/extended periods of time (~30% travel normally, more during urgent manufacturing and test campaigns)
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted
• Standing/walking for long periods of time
• Willingness to work long hours and weekends as necessary to accommodate manufacturing and test campaigns
• 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.

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 requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should contact [e-mail].