Supplier Development Engineer, Cables (Starlink) at SpaceX
- In Bastrop, TX.
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, CABLES (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 for Power over Ethernet (PoE) cables, AC power cords, and associated connectivity components. 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 end-to-end supplier development for the PoE and AC cable portfolio — from strategic supplier selection and new product introduction (NPI) through high-volume production scaling and reactive quality support. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in cable design, manufacturing processes, and quality systems. The Senior Supplier Development Engineer, Cables will be responsible for executing supplier strategies focused on Power over Ethernet (PoE) cables, AC power cords, and critical connectivity components. This position will have significant technical influence across Starlink engineering, quality, and supply chain teams. RESPONSIBILITIES: Own end-to-end supplier development for the PoE, AC cable, and power cord portfolio within the Starlink User Terminal Bill of Materials, spanning strategic supplier selection, new product introduction (NPI), qualification, production ramp, and reactive quality support Engage early with suppliers on selection, equipment selection, and process engineering to properly set up high-volume manufacturing programs by ensuring material and process corners are fully characterized and completed Assess supplier manufacturing capabilities, process controls, and technical readiness for high-volume production of PoE and AC cables, including conductor stranding, extrusion, shielding, termination, crimping, and connector molding processes Lead new product introduction (NPI) activities, production part approval process (PPAP), first article inspections (FAI), production rate ramps, and reliability campaigns to enable full-rate, high-volume manufacturing Develop and execute robust qualification plans tailored to cable commodities, including temperature rise testing under PoE load, bundle heating validation, flex-life cycling, insulation resistance, hi-pot testing, and electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) compliance Create and standardize qualification protocols across the cable supply base, including equipment buy-off checklists, factory acceptance tests (FAT), site acceptance tests (SAT), and consistent reliability demonstration methods Drive supplier performance improvement through Lean methodologies, supplier scorecards, process audits, and systematic problem solving to deliver measurable gains in quality, cost, and on-time delivery Perform root cause analysis and lead corrective actions for quality issues, with focus on common cable failure modes such as insulation cracking, conductor fatigue and breakage, poor crimp termination, increased contact resistance, PoE-related overheating in bundles, shield discontinuities, and strain relief failures 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 quality escapes, field returns, and production issues …