Sr. Supplier Development Engineer

SpaceX; Florida; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Supplier Development Engineer at the Launch Site in Cape Canaveral, FL to lead supplier quality and manufacturing improvements for rocket components.

You will drive DFM reviews, NPIs, PPAPs, and containment actions with suppliers to keep schedules and quality on track. The role requires a bachelor’s in engineering, 5+ years of experience in manufacturing/inspection of mechanical products, and familiarity with GD&T, ISO/AS quality systems, and data tools like SQL/Power BI.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or STEM discipline.
• 5+ years of experience with manufacturing and/or inspection of mechanical products in a production environment.

Responsibilities

• Act as the technical point of contact for assigned parts or systems within flight, non-flight, and launch site and recovery infrastructure, solving emergent challenges at suppliers and mitigating risk to the manifest by addressing high-impact manufacturing and quality challenges.
• Lead and coordinate containment activities to mitigate risk to build and launch schedules, and drive ongoing reliability improvements.
• Intervene and drive resolution at the supplier for critical path components to ensure zero disruption to the build schedule.
• Review issues on assigned parts and solve to the root cause, implementing changes at the supplier, at SpaceX, or both, as appropriate, drive further actions to closure, and re-source to new suppliers where appropriate.
• Create and disposition issue tickets where needed, working with engineering counterparts to implement, but not limited to, required re-work, repair, or use as-is disposition.
• Become thoroughly familiar with your assigned parts, systems, and the processes that make up the overall assembly, and become the primary point of contact for supply chain-related defects on your parts.
• Work with procurement to find exceptional suppliers and vet them appropriately for quality and ability to meet our aggressive takt times.
• Conduct design for manufacturing (DFM) reviews to ensure parts are manufacturable at early stages, preferably prior to sourcing.
• Own the new product introduction (NPI) process at a supplier for new parts, drawing changes, or when re-sourcing existing parts to a new supplier.
• Drive the production part approval process (PPAP) program to ensure stable supply, reduce inspection oversight, and improve overall delivery time.
• Demonstrate innovation, technical excellence, attention to detail, self-direction, and courage to push the technical envelope, which is conventionally held in the industry.
• Drive for results and customer satisfaction by collaborating with teams, leading projects, and continuously driving improvement in the supply base.

Skills

Machining knowledge

QA / inspection

DFM reviews

NPI processes

PPAP experience

ISO/AS quality systems

MS Office & Excel

SQL & Power BI

Problem solving (8D/A3)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or STEM

Tools

GD&T

MRP/ERP systems

Quality systems (ISO 9000/TS/AS9100/NADCAP)

Job description

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 ofenabling human life on Mars.

SR. SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER, SUPPLY CHAIN (LAUNCH SITE)

SpaceX demands a new type of supply chain. We require our suppliers to provide premium quality with rapidly evolving designs at increasingly ambitious volumes. We are actively looking for candidates who possess comprehensive knowledge of manufacturing and quality tools and have an unrelenting motivation to enable suppliers to succeed. This position will be the key focal point for Launch, supporting our Starship, Dragon, and Falcon programs, and requires a combination of proven leadership and technical capabilities.

This is a highly technical position that requires practical experience in process engineering and new product development through stabilized production for the machined components and assemblies used in rockets and rocket engines. The ideal candidate will have a broad understanding of the machining and assembly of metallic components and associated processes, with the desire and capability to take on new challenges in unfamiliar areas to help enable our mission to Mars.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Act as the technical point of contact for assigned parts or systems within flight, non-flight, and launch site and recovery infrastructure, solving emergent challenges at suppliers and mitigating risk to the manifest by addressing high-impact manufacturing and quality challenges
• Lead and coordinate containment activities to mitigate risk to build and launch schedules, and drive ongoing reliability improvements
• Intervene and drive resolution at the supplier for critical path components to ensure zero disruption to the build schedule
• Review issues on assigned parts and solve to the root cause, implementing changes at the supplier, at SpaceX, or both, as appropriate, drive further actions to closure, and re-source to new suppliers where appropriate
• Create and disposition issue tickets where needed, working with engineering counterparts to implement, but not limited to, required re-work, repair, or use as-is disposition
• Become thoroughly familiar with your assigned parts, systems, and the processes that make up the overall assembly, and become the primary point of contact for supply chain-related defects on your parts
• Work with procurement to find exceptional suppliers and vet them appropriately for quality and ability to meet our aggressive takt times
• Conduct design for manufacturing (DFM) reviews to ensure parts are manufacturable at early stages, preferably prior to sourcing
• Own the new product introduction (NPI) process at a supplier for new parts, drawing changes, or when re-sourcing existing parts to a new supplier
• Drive the production part approval process (PPAP) program to ensure stable supply, reduce inspection oversight, and improve overall delivery time
• Demonstrate innovation, technical excellence, attention to detail, self-direction, and courage to push the technical envelope, which is conventionally held in the industry
• Drive for results and customer satisfaction by collaborating with teams, leading projects, and continuously driving improvement in the supply base

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or STEM discipline
• 5+ years of experience with manufacturing and/or inspection of mechanical products in a production environment

PREFERRED SKILLS and EXPERIENCES:

• Experience with machining and ancillary operations such as milling, turning, fabrication, and vendor design-engineered systems such as pumps, valves, and actuators
• Experience with interpreting engineering drawings and models; GD&T
• Working knowledge of supplier quality processes (production part approval process, advanced product quality planning, first article inspection reports, etc.)
• Knowledge of statistical techniques and methods, e.g., design of experiments, Lean, Six Sigma, etc.
• Experience with quality systems (ISO 9000/TS/AS9100/NADCAP) and manufacturing operation systems (MRP/ERP)
• Working knowledge of problem-solving techniques such as 8D or A3
• Proficient in MS Office and Excel applications and report writing
• Proficient in SQL and Power BI
• Experience with sharing information and influencing others across organizational lines, internally and externally

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral
• Must be able to travel - up to 60-85% work week travel may be required, including international travel
• Must be able to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to meet major milestones
• This position is based in Cape Canaveral, FL, and requires being on-site - remote work not considered
• Valid driver’s license
• 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 Affimative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [e-mail] .

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in SpaceX’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITARhere.