---
title: 'Supplier Development Engineer, Automation & Controls (Starlink) at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/supplier-development-engineer-automation-controls-starlink-spacex-bastrop-f5crt6cjbggw'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Supplier Development Engineer, Automation & Controls (Starlink) at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Bastrop, TX
- **Posted:** 2026-05-12
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8533957002?gh_jid=8533957002

## 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.

SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER, AUTOMATION & CONTROLS (STARLINK)

Starlink User Terminal business is experiencing exponential growth across consumer, retail, enterprise, and mobility applications. This rapid expansion requires a highly resilient and scalable supply chain with world-class automated manufacturing lines at contract manufacturers. The role entails early engagement in supplier selection, equipment selection, and process engineering to set programs up for success in high-volume manufacturing by ensuring material and process corners are fully completed. The role also includes ownership to deliver on time, monitor field performance, react to issues, and feed lessons learned back to engineering teams for iterative improvement.

We are seeking a technically strong Supplier Development Engineer to drive the development, bring-up, and optimization of automated manufacturing equipment and control systems. This role focuses on automation cells, custom fixturing, conveyor logic, and overall line optimization to achieve high throughput, quality, and efficiency production at contract manufacturers. The Supplier Development Engineer, Starlink Automation & Controls will be responsible for end-to-end equipment and controls development — from concept and specification through design, debug, qualification, and continuous improvement. This position demands strong mechanical, controls, and manufacturing engineering expertise with extreme ownership across the full lifecycle.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Own end-to-end development and qualification of automation equipment and control systems at contract manufacturers, spanning equipment selection, new product introduction (NPI), line bring-up, and high-volume production support
- Engage early with suppliers on equipment selection, fixturing design, and controls architecture to properly set up high-volume manufacturing programs by ensuring material and process corners are fully characterized and completed
- Design and qualify custom automation fixtures, workholding solutions, and poka-yoke mechanisms to ensure repeatability, ergonomics, and high process capability
- Develop and optimize conveyor systems, including conveyor logic, routing algorithms, accumulation strategies, and material flow control to maximize throughput and minimize work-in-process (WIP)
- Program and debug programmable logic controller (PLC) logic, human-machine interfaces (HMI), and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems for automated cells, including safety interlocks, sequencing, and error recovery routines
- Lead line optimization initiatives focused on takt time reduction, bottleneck analysis, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) improvement, cycle time balancing, and throughput maximization
- Integrate robotic systems, vision guidance, servo motion control, and torque tooling into automated assembly cells while ensuring robust communication protocols (EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP, Profinet)
- Design and execute design of experiments (DOE) and corner case studies to validate equipment robustness across material variation, environmental conditions, and process parameter windows
- Lead equipment and line qualification activities including installation qualification (IQ), operational qualification (OQ), performance qualification (PQ), gauge repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R), and production part approval process (PPAP)
- Perform reactive quality engineering support, including rapid containment, root cause analysis using eight disciplines (8D) and five-whys (5-Why) methodologies, and corrective actions for equipment downtime, quality escapes, and field issues
- Own on-time delivery of equipment bring-up and production ramp activities while continuously monitoring field performance, reacting quickly to issues, and feeding lessons learned from field data back to design and process engineering teams for iterative improvement

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, controls engineering, or other engineering discipline
- 1+ years of experience in automation equipment development, controls engineering, or manufacturing line deployment

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES:

- Strong technical background in automation systems, fixturing design, conveyor logic, and line optimization
- Hands-on experience designing and bringing up automated assembly lines including custom fixtures, robotic cells, and conveyor systems
- Proficiency in PLC programming (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or Beckhoff), HMI development, and industrial networking protocols
- Strong experience with line balancing, takt time optimization, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) tracking, and throughput improvement methodologies
- Expertise in design of experiments (DOE), statistical process control (SPC), and process window development
- Experience leading full equipment qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) and production part approval process (PPAP) at contract manufacturers
- Knowledge of relevant standards including ANSI/RIA robot safety standards, ISO 13849 safety of machinery, IPC-A-610, and AS9100
- Strong problem-solving skills using structured root cause analysis methods and statistical tools such as Minitab and design of experiments (DOE)
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complex technical topics into clear one-pagers, equipment specifications, and executive presentations
- Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and contract manufacturers in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Ability to travel up to 30% of the time, both domestically and internationally
- Position may require extended working hours and occasional weekends to support equipment bring-up and production ramps
- This position is based in Bastrop, TX and requires being onsite

## 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)

## Other roles at SpaceX

- [CNC Specialist (NX CAM) - Blades & Vanes](https://feeny.ai/job/cnc-specialist-nx-cam-blades-vanes-spacex-bastrop-e68yy8a0j64d) — Bastrop, TX
- [Thermal Development Technician, Robotic Welding (Starship)](https://feeny.ai/job/thermal-development-technician-robotic-welding-starship-spacex-starbase-yqmzqsw8pyah) — Starbase, TX
- [Welding Engineer (Starship)](https://feeny.ai/job/welding-engineer-starship-spacex-starbase-z0zrxryrqszb) — Starbase, TX
- [Equipment Reliability Engineer (Starship)](https://feeny.ai/job/equipment-reliability-engineer-starship-spacex-starbase-r2r8xxvvykyc) — Starbase, TX
- [Application Software Engineer, Internal Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/application-software-engineer-internal-systems-spacex-starbase-9rnsx3q0cyry) — Starbase, TX
- [Sr. Full Stack Engineer, MES (Manufacturing Execution System)](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-full-stack-engineer-mes-manufacturing-execution-system-spacex-bastrop-1gyzme2f3f1j) — Bastrop, TX
- [Full Stack Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/full-stack-software-engineer-spacex-bastrop-n75e0act3wmn) — Bastrop, TX
- [Full Stack Software Engineer, Internal Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/full-stack-software-engineer-internal-systems-spacex-hawthorne-b72wbzcr99xr) — Hawthorne, CA
- [Merchandising Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/merchandising-associate-spacex-starbase-gedk4n16vt1h) — Starbase, TX
- [Supervisor, NDE Operations (Starship)](https://feeny.ai/job/supervisor-nde-operations-starship-spacex-starbase-6f3d8eat9aam) — Starbase, TX