Supplier Development Engineer
US$135,000 – US$215,000 / yr base salary
Posted 12 Oct 2026
Advertised as “Lead Supplier Development Engineer, PCB/PCBA (Starshield)”
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Expected experience
- 3+ yrs
- Management level
- People management
- Employment
- On-Site
| Base salary | US$135,000 – US$215,000 / yr |
|---|
Field of studyEngineering
Study levelBachelor's
Field of studyBusiness, Engineering
Study levelMaster's
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 SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER, PCB/PCBA (STARSHIELD)
**Starshield leverages SpaceX's Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on three areas: Earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads. Designed to meet diverse mission requirements, Starshield satellites are capable of integrating a wide variety of payloads, offering unique versatility to users. With the proven ability to iterate rapidly, SpaceX's unique full-stack approach in developing end-to-end systems, from launch vehicles to user terminals, enables the deployment of capabilities at scale with unprecedented speed. Starshield's proliferated low-Earth orbit architecture provides inherent resiliency and constant connectivity to on-orbit assets, while SpaceX's proven rapid launch capability provides expedient and economical access to space.
Starshield demands a new type of supply chain. We require our suppliers to provide premium quality with rapidly evolving designs at commercial-scale volumes. We are actively looking for highly motivated candidates who possess comprehensive knowledge of manufacturing and quality tools and have unrelenting motivation to enable suppliers to succeed. This position requires a combination of proven leadership and technical capabilities.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop a team responsible for building high-performing suppliers for Starshield satellites, user terminals, and ground station products, ensuring reliability, cost, and delivery requirements to industrialize electronics hardware
- Work closely with supply chain, engineering, design, operations, and production to maintain consistency in supply chain policies and processes across the organization
- Lead a team of engineers to execute the following responsibilities:
- Reliability
- Implement the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) for hardware production qualification
- Analyze supplier quality data and partner with supplier development engineers to drive supplier improvements and manufacturing development program execution
- Create, improve, and implement supplier quality and manufacturing processes
- Review supplier issues and recommend appropriate actions
- Work closely with receiving, receiving inspection, supplier quality engineering, and assurance to purge suspect/nonconforming material from inventory and throughout the organization
- Reliability