Supplier Development Engineer, Hardware & Fasteners (Starship)

SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER, MECHANICAL HARDWARE & FASTENER STARSHIP

Every Starship flight depends on thousands of bolts, nuts, screws, fittings, and joining hardware performing flawlessly under extreme load, temperature, and vibration. In this role, you own that commodity end to end: the manufacturers who form and machine, the heat treat and chemical processing that finish, and the quality systems that ensure reliable function. SpaceX is building a supply chain that can scale from prototype to high-cadence flight hardware without sacrificing reliability. We need an engineer who will be the extreme owner of fasteners and hardware — and who will push suppliers, processes, and designs until quality, cost, and rate all win.

This is a hands-on, highly technical role. You will spend time on shop floors, at heat treat and coating lines, in metrology labs, and in design reviews — not just in meetings. The ideal candidate has manufacturing depth, a genuine interest in mechanical fasteners, and the urgency to solve hard problems that protect the flight manifest.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own the mechanical hardware commodity for Starship: Fasteners (bolts, nuts, screws), Dynamic Hardware (springs, bearings, rod ends) and Fluid Control (fluid fittings, filters), and related joining devices — from supplier selection through rate production.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for assigned parts and suppliers; resolve emergent manufacturing, quality, and capacity issues that threaten the build or flight schedule.
• Lead new product introduction (NPI) and work transfers for fastener and hardware products: qualify suppliers, validate processes, and ramp production to aggressive takt times.
• Drive production part approval and process validation (PPAP, FAIR, capability studies) so every critical characteristic is controlled and proven before hardware reaches the vehicle.
• Lead containment on nonconforming hardware; define scope with engineering, quality, and production; execute disposition (rework, repair, use-as-is, or scrap); and prevent recurrence.
• Root-cause defects at the supplier, at SpaceX, or both — including heat treat, plating/coating, thread forming/rolling, machining, forging, material certs, and dimensional/GD&T escapes.
• Partner with design and manufacturing engineering to improve part designs, specifications, and process callouts for manufacturability, lead time, cost, and defect reduction.
• Assess supplier capability and capacity (equipment, tooling, personnel, quality systems) and develop underperforming suppliers or dual-source/re-source when required.
• Work with procurement to identify, vet, and grow exceptional fastener and specialty hardware suppliers who can meet aerospace quality and SpaceX rate.
• Become the go-to expert on your parts and processes; own supply-chain-related defects and drive them to zero escapes.
• Serve as SpaceX’s SAE representative; attend technical committee meetings and advocate for company positions on fastener, hardware, and related standards.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
• 2+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, process engineering, or supplier development

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Hands-on familiarity with mechanical fasteners and joining hardware (bolts, nuts, screws, studs, washers, pins, springs, fittings, inserts, etc.)
• Experience with fastener or precision hardware manufacturing processes: cold heading/forging, thread rolling or cutting, machining, heat treatment, surface finishing, plating/coating, passivation, and secondary ops
• Familiarity with destructive and nondestructive inspection methods relevant to fasteners and hardware (e.g., hardness, tensile, fatigue, magnetic particle, fluorescent penetrant, dimensional metrology)
• Working knowledge of aerospace and industry fastener/material standards (e.g., NAS, AN, MS, ASTM, AMS, NASA/JSC, ISO)
• Experience assessing supplier technical capability and capacity (equipment, process control, operations, and people)
• Knowledge of supplier quality frameworks: PPAP, APQP, FAIR, control plans, PFMEA, MSA
• Experience with quality systems (AS9100, ISO 9001) and high-reliability or high-volume production environments
• Proven ability to drive root cause and corrective action using structured methods (8D, 5-Why, fishbone, Pareto) and statistical tools (capability, DOE, SPC; Minitab or equivalent a plus)
• Comfort reading engineering drawings, including GD&T, material callouts, and special process requirements
• Experience with CAD and drawing creation or revision collaboration with design engineering
• Experience implementing process improvements, automation, or advanced inspection in manufacturing or quality
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to influence suppliers and internal stakeholders under schedule pressure
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methods

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work extended hours, including some nights and/or weekends when flight or production priorities demand it
• Ability to travel frequently to suppliers (up to 50–75%)
• Valid driver’s license