Sr. Scheduler (Starship)

About the role

The Sr. Scheduler for SpaceX's Starship program leads efficient production planning by developing strategic rate-based schedules, forecasting long-term departmental capacity, resolving complex part shortages, and managing constraints across multiple builds. This role collaborates cross-functionally to establish and drive program-level goals, mentors junior schedulers, and optimizes resource allocation to achieve aggressive rate targets.

Responsibilities

• Lead production scheduling for multiple production work centers, including advanced forecasting of part shortages, long-term rate projections, and constraint management across 12+ missions.
• Develop and maintain rate-based master schedules for hardware lines.
• Own scenario modeling for optimal hardware allocation (new vs. refurb), incorporating customer manifests, quality requirements, and program priorities; present recommendations to senior leadership for stakeholder alignment and decision-making.
• Partner with production, engineering, and supply chain teams to define, track, and execute daily/weekly goals at the work-center and program level, balancing personnel, equipment, and facility constraints against overarching rate objectives.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with internal/external suppliers, implementing robust communication protocols for hardware needs, delivery dates, and escalations to ensure schedule reliability.
• Orchestrate scheduling and prioritization of hardware across shared resources enterprise-wide; negotiate with peer leaders, resolve conflicts, and drive innovative solutions that maximize program outcomes.
• Leverage MRP/ERP systems and advanced SQL queries to proactively identify shortages, expedite material flow, and integrate data into real-time dashboards for build visibility.
• Champion scheduling automation initiatives across Starship Ship Engineering, leading development of tools/scripts (e.g., VBA, Power BI, Python) to eliminate manual processes and scale operations.
• Conduct in-depth capacity analyses at work-center and program levels to mitigate near- and long-term risks; identify systemic gaps in models/communications, and spearhead proactive/reactive initiatives to prevent slips.
• Root-cause chronic schedule issues during builds, leading cross-functional teams to implement permanent fixes; facilitate assembly/integration alignment discussions and drive blocker resolution at scale.
• Mentor and develop junior schedulers, fostering a high-performance team culture; lead continuous improvement projects using lean, Six Sigma, or Kaizen to enhance yield, quality, safety, cost, and efficiency.
• Support strategic program reviews, providing data-driven insights on production readiness, risk profiles, and rate attainment to influence Starship development roadmap.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of manufacturing scheduling, planning, or operations experience; OR 8+ years of professional experience in manufacturing scheduling, planning, or operations in lieu of a degree.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Advanced experience with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and SQL in high-volume production environments.
• Exceptional problem-solving with a proven bias for speed, accuracy, and scalable solutions in high-stakes environments.
• Highly self-motivated leader with experience prioritizing amid ambiguity to deliver customer/company objectives.
• Strong ability to build and lead supplier/customer relationships in fast-paced, matrixed organizations.
• Proficiency in coding/scripting (e.g., SQL, VBA, Python) and tools like MS Office Suite, Smartsheet, Power BI, Confluence, JIRA.
• Demonstrated success implementing enterprise-wide continuous improvement using lean principles, Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt), Kaizen, or equivalent frameworks.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams on strategic initiatives, with project management certifications (e.g., PMP, Agile).
• Aerospace or high-volume manufacturing background, ideally with rate-production scaling.

Additional Requirements

• Must be available for all shifts, extended hours, and/or weekends as needed.
• Must be able to lift up to 25 lbs. unassisted.
• Must be able to stand for extended periods - 8 hours minimum.

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.