Lead Mechanical Engineer, Hardware Reliability (Starlink)

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 of enabling human life on Mars.

LEAD MECHANICAL ENGINEER, HARDWARE RELIABILITY (STARLINK)

As a Lead Mechanical Engineer, you will be responsible for the reliability of the Starlink Product hardware from factory to field. You will develop an intimate understanding of the Starlink system from hardware design to manufacturing processes, test procedures, RF, and network operation. You will lead a team whose priority is to minimize hardware failures and related customer downtime in the field. This is high visibility ownership which feeds into future product design, is involved in product launches, and one where you will regularly communicate findings to senior leadership. 

You will set the strategy, and ownership plans for the team while aligning with management on longer-term development plans. You will be accountable for the team’s overall performance and development, teaching engineers how to solve problems, and staying closely involved in the top project and hardware concerns for this team. You will raise the team’s technical bar by providing tools, resources, trainings, and coaching to set a high standard for engineering, and hold partner teams accountable to timelines, goals, and expectations. You will also identify major and systemic issues within the team’s area of ownership, create projects to address them, and ensure the team meets all relevant ISO standards and requirements. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leadership:
  • Lead and mentor a team of engineers and specialists focused on hardware reliability and field performance for the Starlink User Terminal Kit, including user terminals, Wi-Fi routers, power supplies, and cables.
  • Allocate resources across new product qualification campaigns, production reliability priorities, and field hardware investigations to ensure appropriate technical coverage, timely execution, and rapid troubleshooting of failures
  • Develop individual team members through technical mentorship, clear ownership, and opportunities aligned with individual growth and the strategic goals of the Starlink program
  • Partner closely with hardware design, software, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to proactively influence current and future designs and maximize reliability across the product lifecycle
• Technical Scope:
  • Manage or lead technical investigations with tight timelines concerning isolated or fleet-wide performance or hardware issues that affect Starlink customers. Investigations may stem from test, production or field findings.
  • Develop and execute reliability qualification strategies for new and existing products to maximize field life, minimize early-life failures, and demonstrate readiness for mass production
  • Design and execute environmental, mechanical, electrical, RF, and system-level reliability testing tailored to product architecture, use conditions, and identified failure mechanisms to qualify changes in high volume manufacturing
  • Automate reliability test execution, data analysis, and reporting using appropriate data visualization and engineering tools to improve speed, repeatability, and technical decision-making
  • Define and monitor ongoing reliability testing and monitoring strategies to assess manufacturing process health and identify long-term reliability risks driven by process, material, and component variability
  • Define and monitor critical hardware and performance field metrics, such as product return rates, to identify and investigate product reliability shortcomings
  • Oversee production quality activities including containments, material review board (MRB), defect processing, quality metrics, training, and applicable command media for factory compliance
  • Identify manufacturing inefficiencies that impact product reliability and drive process improvements that increase first-pass yield, improve quality, reduce scrap, and accelerate issue detection and resolution
  • Maintain applicable quality system and ISO 9001 requirements
  • Lead root cause investigations for qualification, production, and field failures; identify immediate and underlying failure mechanisms and drive corrective actions to reduce product and process risk.
  • Perform telemetry and log analysis as well as hands-on debugging to drive to root cause and corrective action of failed phased-array, Wi-Fi, and power supply PCBAs in the field
  • Understand Wi-Fi standards and how the Starlink network operates 

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials engineering, manufacturing engineering, aerospace engineering, or another engineering discipline
• 2+ years of experience executing complex engineering projects in design qualification, manufacturing, hardware reliability, reliability test, or a production environment
• 1+ years of experience in a leadership position leading a team of 3+ engineers

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree in electrical, mechanical, materials, manufacturing, aerospace engineering, or a related engineering discipline
• Experience developing and executing product qualification or hardware reliability strategies.
• Experience developing objective test, inspection, and acceptance criteria
• Strong understanding of reliability engineering principles, failure mechanisms, root cause investigation, and risk-based engineering decision-making
• Experience developing environmental, mechanical, electrical, RF, or system-level test methods
• Experience with PCB, PCBA, electromechanical assemblies, and complex hardware systems
• Demonstrated ability to investigate complex hardware failures and drive corrective actions to closure
• Experience with high-volume manufacturing and transitioning hardware from development into mass production
• Ability to identify and analyze production process improvements for rate, yield, and quality
• Working experience in an AS9100, ISO 9001, or equivalent quality management system
• Experience automating test execution, data analysis, or engineering reporting
• Experience monitoring and aggregating hardware telemetry to identify key performance trends or anomalies
• Demonstrated experience training, mentoring, and developing engineers
• Ability to effectively organize, prioritize, assign, and track technical work and deliverables across multiple concurrent priorities
• Ability to independently define scope of work and drive projects from problem definition through technical resolution
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a highly adaptive and iterative environment
• Ability to influence cross-functional organizations through strong engineering rationale, business judgment, and data
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work extended hours, weekends, and offsite as needed
• Must be willing to travel up to 30% for work
• Must be willing to relocate to the Bastrop, TX area if not already local. Remote or hybrid work not considered

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.

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 Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.