Supplier Development Engineer, Materials & Metals (Starship)

SpaceX; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options / equity

Medical, vision & dental

401(k)

Paid vacation and holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

SpaceX in Hawthorne, CA is seeking a Supplier Development Engineer for Materials & Metals to own supplier materials, processing, and special processes that fly on the Starship vehicle.

You will drive raw-material supplier development, assess capabilities, push improvements, and lead corrective actions to reduce defects, lead time, and cost while partnering with engineering and procurement to scale reliable supplier performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering, metallurgy, or metallurgical engineering.
• 1+ years of experience in R&D, manufacturing, or processing engineering.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical point of contact for materials commodities and processes, including raw material, welding, heat treatment, and finishing/coating.
• Own development of raw-material commodities and related products: select the manufacturing method, identify and vet suppliers, and build a process that can ramp to rate.
• Solve emergent supplier issues that threaten the manifest—high-impact materials, processing, manufacturing, and quality problems.
• Lead containment on materials and processes escapes: scope the risk, align on a path with engineering and supply chain, and drive it to close.
• Create and disposition issue tickets with engineering counterparts (rework, repair, or use-as-is).
• Drive requirement and drawing changes that cut defect risk, improve manufacturability, and reduce lead time and cost.
• Partner with procurement to find capable suppliers and assess them for quality and takt.
• Review supplier manufacturing processes and quality systems; push improvements and own follow-through.
• Be the supply-chain owner for materials-and-process-related defects on your commodities

Skills

Materials processing

Supplier evaluation

Quality systems

Problem solving

Communication

Cross-functional

Education

Materials/metallurgy degree

Job description

Hawthorne, CA

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.

SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER, MATERIALS & METALS

Starship needs a supply base that can hold quality while designs change and rates go up. This role is the technical owner for materials and metals at our suppliers — raw material, processing, and special processes that fly on the vehicle.

Youwilltakehardwarefromnewproductdevelopmentthroughstableproductionacrossmetalprocessing,finishing,welding,heattreatment,inspection,andrelatedprocesses.Youneedarealmaterialsormetallurgyfoundation,judgmentontheshopfloor,andthewillingnesstopickupunfamiliarworkwhenthemissionrequiresit.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serveasthetechnicalpointofcontactformaterialscommoditiesandprocesses,includingrawmaterial,welding,heattreatment,andfinishing/coating
• Owndevelopmentofraw-materialcommoditiesandrelatedproducts:selectthemanufacturingmethod,identifyandvetsuppliers,andbuildaprocessthatcanramptorate
• Solveemergentsupplierissuesthatthreatenthemanifest—high-impactmaterials,processing,manufacturing,andqualityproblems
• Leadcontainmentonmaterialsandprocessescapes:scopetherisk,alignonapathwithengineeringandsupplychain,anddriveittoclose
• Createanddispositionissueticketswithengineeringcounterparts(rework,repair,oruse-as-is)
• Driverequirementanddrawingchangesthatcutdefectrisk,improvemanufacturability,andreduceleadtimeandcost
• Partnerwithprocurementtofindcapablesuppliersandassessthemforqualityandtakt
• Reviewsuppliermanufacturingprocessesandqualitysystems;pushimprovementsandownfollow-through
• Bethesupply-chainownerformaterials-andprocess-relateddefectsonyourcommodities

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering, metallurgy, or metallurgical engineering
• 1+ years of experience with R&D, manufacturing, or processing engineering role

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience with manufacturing, raw materials, special processes, castings, forgings, or sheet metal
• Experience with assessing supplier technical capability from an equipment, operations, and personnel perspective
• Knowledge of supplier quality processes (PPAP, APQP, FAIR, etc.)
• Disciplined approach to problem solving (8D, Pareto, root cause, corrective action, PFMEA, etc.)
• Experience with quality systems (ISO 9000//AS9100)
• Knowledge of lean concepts and statistical methods (Minitab, DOE, Six Sigma)
• Ability to clearly communicate with all levels of the organization
• Ability to influence across functions, internally and at the supplier

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work extended hours, some nights and/or weekends when needed
• Ability to travel: up to 40-50% work week travel
• Valid driver’s license

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:Level 1: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00
Level 2: $115,000.00 - $160,000.00

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long‑term incentives, in the form of company stock or long‑term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long‑term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

• 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 Affaintative 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.