Manager, Operations, Materials Engineering (Starlink)

MANAGER, OPERATIONS, MATERIALS ENGINEERING (STARLINK)

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 team 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 with regards to traditional vs. emerging technologies and utilize a logical and disciplined approach to evaluate and select the correct set of solutions. The candidate will drive alignment between product design, design for manufacturability, simulations, tool design, material and process selection and will own seamless integration of these processes into the overall process flow to produce high-quality production tooling at record speeds.

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.
• Directly lead a team of tool designers and manufacturing engineers responsible for the development of technologies relating to plastic injection molds and high-pressure die-cast tools.
• Manage strategy for CapX, staffing, production line tooling, inventory, 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 and 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.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Associate’s degree and 10+ years of professional experience in tooling design/manufacturing OR 15+ years of professional experience in high-pressure die-casting, injection molding, stamping, or tooling operations.
• 5+ years of leadership experience, either leading people or projects.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• 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, CNC, die-casting, stamping, assembly, and box build in a production setting and a good understanding of the costs and schedule, and complexity associated with each process.
• Experience defining and assessing quality standards associated with common manufacturing processes including drawing specifications, limit samples, and incoming/outgoing quality control points with a proven track-record of shepherding products from tool release to mass production.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Willingness to travel to other SpaceX sites and/or vendors for significant/extended periods (up to 25% of the time) including international.
• Ability to lift up to 30 Ibs. unassisted.
• Standing/walking for long periods.
• Willingness to work long hours and weekends as necessary to accommodate manufacturing and test campaigns.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:

Operations /Manager: $130,000.00 - $180,000.00/per year

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, stock options, 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.