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

About the role

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.

Working directly in the materials engineering group, this position is responsible for managing a technical project for the development and qualification of all equipment, tooling, and manufacturing process technologies necessary to produce plastic injection molds and high pressure die cast tools. The correct individual will bring an open mindset, challenge the status quo concerning traditional vs. emerging technologies, and utilize a logical and disciplined approach to evaluate and select the correct set of solutions.

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 25Ibs unassisted
• Standing/walking for long periods of time
• Willingness to work long hours and weekends as necessary to accommodate manufacturing and test campaigns

Itar Requirements

• 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.