Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical, materials, manufacturing, aerospace engineering, or related field
2+ years of experience in complex engineering projects related to design qualification or hardware reliability
1+ years of leadership experience managing a team of 3+ engineers
Strong understanding of reliability engineering principles and failure mechanisms
Experience with high-volume manufacturing and transitioning hardware to mass production
Responsibilities
Lead and mentor a team focused on hardware reliability for the Starlink User Terminal Kit
Allocate resources for product qualification, reliability priorities, and field investigations
Develop team members through mentorship and alignment with strategic goals
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance product reliability
Manage technical investigations of performance or hardware issues affecting customers
Design and execute reliability testing tailored to product architecture and failure mechanisms
Identify manufacturing inefficiencies and drive process improvements
Benefits
Opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology in a high-visibility role
Access to professional development resources and mentorship
Collaborative work environment with cross-functional teams
Involvement in product launches and strategic decision-making
Potential for career growth within a rapidly evolving company
Full Job Description
LEAD ELECTRICAL HARDWARE RELIABILITY ENGINEER (STARLINK)
As a Lead Hardware Reliability 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
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
Master's degree in electrical, mechanical, materials, manufacturing, aerospace, or 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 Austin-Bastrop 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. a7 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. a7 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
About SpaceX
SpaceX is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk. The company designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX has developed the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon spacecraft. The company was founded with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX has achieved several milestones in spaceflight, including the first privately-funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit, the first privately-funded company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station, and the first privately-funded company to send a human-rated spacecraft to orbit.
