---
title: 'Sourcing Manager, Rack Components, Cooling/Mechanicals (Starlink) at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/sourcing-manager-rack-components-cooling-mechanicals-starlink-spacex-austin-n13e1s0v6mjt'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Sourcing Manager, Rack Components, Cooling/Mechanicals (Starlink) at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Austin, TX
- **Posted:** 2026-09-02
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8771550002?gh_jid=8771550002

## Job description

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.

SOURCING MANAGER, RACK COMPONENTS, COOLING/MECHANICALS (STARLINK)

We are seeking a world-class Sourcing Manager to own end-to-end sourcing strategy, supplier management, and delivery of rack-level cooling and mechanical components for SpaceXAI compute and network hardware. In this role you will partner deeply with responsible engineers, thermal architects, and rack mechanical teams to define commodity strategy, craft and optimize statements of work (SOW), aggressively challenge unnecessary specifications and costs, and drive rack hardware execution at extreme velocity and scale. You will elevate fabricator and cooling-OEM relationships into true strategic partnerships that deliver unprecedented on-time delivery, quality, cost efficiency, and flexibility while powering SpaceX's record-breaking cluster deployment cadence. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in datacenter rack mechanicals and in-rack cooling, thrives in high-ambiguity/high-velocity environments, and turns the rack supply base into a core competitive advantage and force multiplier for SpaceX's AI infrastructure leadership.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Partner deeply with responsible engineers, thermal architects, and rack mechanical teams to co-define commodity strategy, multi-year technology roadmaps, and approved vendor lists for rack-level cooling and mechanicals — OCP / 21" and 19" rack frames and cabinets, doors and side panels, seismic and leveling kits, cable-management arms and blanking, rear-door heat exchangers (RDHx), in-rack manifolds and plumbing, drip pans and leak containment, rack-mounted CDUs where in-scope, in-rack fans and containment, dripless quick disconnects at the rack, PDU and busbar mounting hardware, and structural fasteners — anticipating SpaceXAI density and deployment requirements 12–24 months ahead
- Own global sourcing end-to-end for rack cooling and mechanicals, including supplier selection, qualification of sheet-metal / weldment / liquid-cooling fabricators, dual/multi-sourcing, capacity reservation, and performance governance to achieve on-time delivery and continuous lead-time compression while supporting SpaceX's aggressive cluster build cadence
- Define and negotiate transformative SOWs and commercial agreements that rigorously challenge unnecessary specifications, drive value engineering of rack weldments, manifolds, and RDHx designs, secure aggressive pricing, dedicated manufacturing capacity, and flexibility without compromising structural, leak, and thermal standards required for SpaceX training clusters
- Drive continuous cost leadership through should-cost modeling of rack frames, doors, manifolds, and heat exchangers; design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly reviews; specification optimization; and long-term pricing agreements that meaningfully reduce total cost of ownership while accelerating time-to-scale
- Act as the supplier interface for all RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs; visit rack and cooling factories and accurately assess stamping, welding, powder-coat, brazing/welding of manifolds, leak-test capability, financial health, and capacity before awarding NPI and production contracts
- Monitor global industry trends in high-density rack cooling (RDHx, in-rack manifolds, liquid-to-rack architectures, dripless couplings) and rack mechanical standards (OCP, EIA); partner with design teams to identify and mitigate long-lead, tooling, and sole-source risk before it hits cluster deployment
- Standardize and automate NPI-to-mass-production processes, implement inventory and WIP optimization models (including consignment and just-in-time tailored to SpaceX's build velocity), and establish clear KPIs for cost, quality, speed, leak/yield, and resilience that are reviewed weekly with leadership
- Lead supplier innovation programs- challenge and collaborate with vendors on modular rack packages, higher-capacity RDHx, optimized manifolding, faster install features, and next-generation in-rack cooling that accelerate SpaceX's hardware roadmap and reduce total cost of ownership
- Present value propositions to executives, including those related to contract award, tooling, cost reviews, and critical rack-hardware supply issues
- Build and maintain a world-class supply base through strategic relationships with rack OEMs, precision sheet-metal fabricators, RDHx and manifold suppliers, and quick-disconnect manufacturers; run executive business reviews and performance scorecards that position SpaceX as the preferred high-velocity partner

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor’s degree and 6+ years of experience working in one or more of the following; or 9+ years of experience working in one or more of the following in lieu of a degree:
- Business
- Manufacturing
- Supply Chain
- Engineering
- 4+ years of experience in global supply chain, commodity management, or mechanical sourcing with a focus on racks, cabinets, sheet metal, manifolds, or datacenter cooling hardware

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Deep technical understanding of datacenter rack mechanicals (OCP / EIA frames, doors, seismic kits) and in-rack cooling (RDHx, manifolds, dripless QDs, rack-level CDUs, leak containment)
- Proven track record sourcing rack, sheet-metal, or liquid-cooling commodities at hyperscale, at rack OEMs, or at cooling/mechanical suppliers (e.g. Vertiv, Rittal, nVent, CoolIT, Boyd, manifold and QD specialists)
- Hands-on familiarity with sheet-metal drawings, weldment specs, powder-coat, leak testing, hydrostatic test requirements, and the difference between rack-level vs. facility-level cooling scope (dry coolers, chillers, and plant CDUs are out of scope for this seat)
- Previous experience at hyperscalers, leading ODMs, Tier-1 CMs, or AI infrastructure companies with aggressive scaling demands
- Demonstrated success negotiating complex SOWs, challenging specifications and costs, and delivering results in ambiguous, high-velocity environments with extreme timelines and massive scale
- Experience reading technical drawings, data sheets, fabrication drawings, BOMs, and related files
- Strong negotiation, analytical, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Familiarity with commodity management, long-lead tooling, roadmap planning, and approved vendor list processes in a manufacturing context
- Passion for SpaceX's mission and excitement about enabling the fastest AI infrastructure builds on Earth

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed (up to 25%) to support supplier factories, audits, and critical projects
- Ability to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to meet major cluster-deployment milestones
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment with rapidly evolving priorities and world-class execution speed
- This position is based in Austin, TX and requires being onsite — remote 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](https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987).

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.

## About SpaceX

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft while building a global satellite broadband network and AI infrastructure to enable interplanetary life.
- **Entity Type**: Public (Nasdaq: SPCX) – IPO priced at $135/share on June 12, 2026
- **Headquarters**: Starbase, Texas (primary); Hawthorne, California (historical headquarters)
- **Founded**: 2002
- **Founders**: Elon Musk

## Core Business
- **Industries**: Aerospace & Defense, Spaceflight, Satellite Telecommunications, Artificial Intelligence
- **Target Customers**: Government (NASA, U.S. Armed Forces, international agencies), Commercial satellite operators, Broadband consumers (Starlink), Defense/intelligence (Starshield)
- **Mission**: To make humanity multiplanetary by building the integrated hardware and software infrastructure of the future across space, connectivity, and AI.

## Products & Services
- **Falcon 9**: Reusable two-stage rocket – the world’s most launched orbital rocket, with over 630 successful first-stage reflights.
- **Falcon Heavy**: Heavy-lift launch vehicle composed of three Falcon 9 cores; capable of lifting nearly 64 metric tons to orbit.
- **Starship**: Fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle and spacecraft (largest ever built) designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
- **Dragon 2**: Crew and cargo spacecraft used for NASA Commercial Crew and private missions to the ISS and beyond.
- **Starlink**: Low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation providing high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to over 10.3 million people globally.
- **Starshield**: Military-grade satellite services for national security and defense customers.
- **SpaceXAI**: Division focused on AI compute infrastructure, frontier models, and real-time data processing (including AI compute satellites).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Conflicting reports – Internal share offer in 2025 valued SpaceX at **$800 billion**; IPO pricing (June 2026) implied a market capitalization of approximately **$75 billion** for the shares offered.
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of **$15.0 billion** (2025); total funding raised **$15.2 billion** across 56 rounds.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Google (led $1B Series G), Intesa Sanpaolo, NASA, U.S. Space Force, and numerous institutional investors.
- **Growth Signals**: Employee headcount of **11,387** (monthly growth +2.5%); **1,671 active job postings**; Falcon 9 launch cadence of 1–3 per week; Starlink subscriber base covering ~10.3 million people; recent acquisition of xAI (February 2026).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Full reusability**: Only company with a fleet of reusable orbital rockets (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy), dramatically lowering per-launch cost.
- **Vertical integration**: Designs, manufactures, and operates its own rockets, spacecraft, satellite constellation, and AI platform – enabling rapid iteration and cost control.
- **Scale and reliability**: More orbital launches per year than any other provider (public or private); proven track record with NASA and DoD.
- **First-mover in commercial spaceflight**: Established crew transport, satellite internet, and now AI compute in orbit.

## Strategic Focus
- **Starship development**: Complete testing and operational deployment of the fully reusable Starship system for lunar (Artemis) and Mars missions.
- **Starlink expansion**: Grow subscriber base, launch V3 satellites, and extend mobile and direct-to-cell services.
- **AI integration**: Leverage SpaceXAI for on-orbit compute and real-time data analytics; build AI compute satellites.
- **Interplanetary infrastructure**: Develop technologies for sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Employees directly contribute to making life multiplanetary – “hard work and innovative solutions result in big gains.”
- **Impactful projects**: Work on reusable rockets, crewed spacecraft, global broadband, and AI systems that are actively changing the space industry.
- **Compensation**: Competitive salaries, comprehensive health benefits, and equity packages.
- **Work locations**: Primary campuses in Hawthorne, CA and Starbase, TX (with additional sites in Cape Canaveral, FL and Vandenberg, CA). Roles span engineering, software, manufacturing, and support.
- **Engineering culture**: Merit-based, fast-paced, with high ownership; top talent sourced from Tesla, Boeing, NASA JPL, and other aerospace leaders.
- **Open roles**: Over 1,600 active positions across software, AI, avionics, propulsion, supply chain, and more – including internships.

## Sources
1. [SpaceX Careers Page](https://www.spacex.com/careers)
2. [LinkedIn – SpaceX Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/spacex)
3. [SpaceX IPO Factsheet (PDF)](https://content.spacex.com/cms-assets/FINAL_Documents%20and%20Updates/SpaceX%20IPO_Factsheet.pdf)
4. [SpaceX IPO Pricing Press Release](https://ir.spacex.com/updates/releases-details/2026/Space-Exploration-Technologies-Corp--Announces-Pricing-of-Initial-Public-Offering/default.aspx)
5. [SpaceX Jobs Board (Greenhouse)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacex)

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