Tooling Engineer, AI Satellites (Starmind)

United States Digital Space LLC; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC is seeking a Tooling Engineer for the Starmind project to own the manufacturing line for advanced on-orbit compute hardware. You will lead the assembly, integration, and testing of precision tooling, memory, and networking components critical to AI processing in space.

The role requires 3+ years in CNC machining, strong 3D CAD skills (Siemens NX), and experience moving products from design to high-volume manufacturing within a cross-functional team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of experience with CNC machining.
• Master’s degree or PhD in an engineering discipline.
• 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 processes like injection molding.

Responsibilities

• Develop machining capability in-house for the tool & die team and deliver high-quality precision piece parts required to build internal tooling.
• Analyze piece parts and assemblies for DFM to ensure that the parts are optimized for manufacturing and assembly.
• Create collaborative business plans with design engineering, upstream production, and support teams and develop and maintain positive supplier/customer relationships.
• Work between manufacturing and design engineers, machinists, technicians, and quality personnel to ensure processes are robust and any production problems are quickly solved.
• Implement machining process controls that allow parts to run ‘lights out’. Leverage latest technologies and programming strategies to reduce in-cycle intervention.
• Identify, procure, and install machine shop equipment as well as ensure all equipment is thoroughly maintained and calibrated.
• Responsible for cost optimization and cost reduction initiatives associated with fabrication and processes.
• Continually develop and manage engineering capacity, schedules, and project plans in order to support production manifest as well as a diverse and variable R&D demand.
• 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.

Skills

CNC machining

3D CAD

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Master’s degree or PhD in engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

the company 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 the company is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal ofenabling human life on Mars.

TOOLINGENGINEER,AI SATELLITES(STARMIND)

the company isleveragingits experience deploying andoperatingthe world’s largest satellite constellation to developStarmind, a new constellation of satellites capturing solar energy in space to power low-cost, high-performance AI compute for Earth. Realizing this vision demandshighly reliable,high performanceelectricalcomputehardware, solar power systems, thermal radiators, and more. These systems mustoperatein the extreme environment of space while delivering the connectivity, control, power distribution, and processing needed for orbital AI inference.

The Starmind team designs, builds, and operates the orbital compute fabric of the future. We develop nearly every key piece of technology in house – from the satellites’ flight computers and power systems to the fully custom compute electronics, memory, and networking that form the brain of our on-orbit data centers. As a Tooling Engineer on the Starmind team, you’ll have ownership over the entire manufacturing line for the hardware that enables advanced on-orbit AI processing and data center workloads. Your work spans the assembly, integration, and testing of industry-leading compute electronics, memory, and networking in order to achieve required domain sizes and processing workloads.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop machining capability in-house for the tool & die team and deliver high-quality precision piece partsrequiredto build internal tooling

• Analyze piece parts and assemblies for DFM to ensure that the parts areoptimizedfor manufacturing and assembly

• Create collaborative business plans with design engineering, upstreamproduction, andsupport teams and develop andmaintainpositive supplier/customer relationships

• Work between manufacturing and design engineers, machinists, technicians, and quality personnel to ensure processes are robust and any production problems are quickly solved

• Implement machining process controls that allow parts to run ‘lights out’.Leveragelatest technologies and programming strategies to reduce in-cycle intervention

• Identify, recommend,procure, and install machine shop equipment as well as ensure all equipment is thoroughlymaintainedand calibrated

• Responsible for cost optimization and cost reduction initiatives associated with fabrication and processes

• Continually develop and manage engineering capacity, schedules, and project plansin order tosupport production manifest as well as a diverse and variable R&D demand

• Research andidentifynew materials, manufacturing technologies and finishing options

• Inform estimations of prototype and production manufacturing costs - tooling, secondary assembly, secondaryfinishingand piece part

• Publish andmaintaindetailed schedules for each development project segment

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline

• 3+ years of experience with CNC machining

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree or PhD in an engineering discipline

• 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 manufacturingprocesslike injection molding,