Sr. Aviation Development Engineer (Starlink)

SpaceX•Woodinville, WA

1d•$130,000 - $180,000

About The Position

We are rapidly accelerating our transformation of the airline passenger experience and are seeking engineers with a track record of new product launch, service introduction and engineering solutions to complex technical challenges with partners and customers. Starlink designs, builds, tests and operates all of the technology utilized in our solutions for airlines. Our mission is to put Starlink on everything that flies and bring the Starlink experience to millions of passengers globally. To accomplish this, we are creating deep technical alignment with our airline partners across the areas of passenger experience, mechanical and electrical integration, network performance and measurement and application-level features and functionality. As an Aviation Development Engineer, you will be responsible for the service launch of Starlink with key airline partners. You will own the technical engagement defining the process, critical milestones, technology trades, resource prioritization, compliance with customer and manufacturing requirements and technical documentation needed to certify and introduce Starlink into our airline partner’s operations. You will team with the engineering, maintenance and passenger experience teams at our airline partners to ensure high alignment with business objectives, technical requirements and critical timelines. Your high integrity, command of engineering first principles, attention to detail, ability to set and keep commitments across a range of internal and external stakeholders while delivering results will be crucial factors in your success in this role.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline
5 Years of experience in an engineering function (EG: software, network, mechanical, electrical) OR a technical program/product management role focused on bringing programs/products/services to market

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated ability to navigate complex technical programs with aerospace manufacturers from ideation, commercial negotiation, and implementation to roll-out
Experience in one or more of the following functional areas: software architecture and protocols, electrical interfaces and standards, wireless data communications, mechanical structures or thermal analysis
Experience conducting commercial and technical trades across partner and internal stakeholders
Demonstrated high accountability to producing the correct requirements, eliminating complexity and communicating dependencies, critical path and key decision-points to a large group of stakeholders
Experience with industry certification and regulatory compliance
Experience with commissioning and testing, writing and executing integration plans
Previous technical ownership of a complex project involving numerous stakeholders from conception to customer acceptance
Demonstrated ability to produce documentation deliverables on a tight timeline
Extremely strong proficiency with Microsoft Word as a tool to produce and manage large documents
Experience generating schematics, diagrams, and data visualizations that clearly communicate design intent of systems, tests or analysis
Hardware ownership for mechanical or electrical systems through entire lifecycle (design, qualification, manufacturing, and launch)
Understanding of failure modes of complex mechanical and electrical systems
Extremely strong verbal and written communication skills

Responsibilities

Responsible for the technical engagement and successful Starlink service launch of Starlink with airline partners
Establish and maintain comprehensive program governance, delivering accurate, timely reporting to both customer-facing teams and SpaceX leadership
Lead strategic program reviews, coordination meetings, and workshops with internal stakeholders, customers, airframe manufacturers, and industry partners
Engage with customers during pre-sales to deeply understand requirements and translate them into actionable technical and operational plans
Coordinate across company departments, vendors, airframe manufacturers, and partners to prepare technical, compliance, and commercial artifacts for licenses, type approvals, and regulatory audits
Navigate complex schedules and project dependencies ensuring a maximally efficient use of SpaceX resources and customer success.
Work closely with the FAA and other aerospace regulatory bodies to ensure full compliance throughout the customer engagement
Manage multiple concurrent projects and provide regular updates on schedule and deliverables to senior management
Act as the subject matter expert on the SpaceX Aviation Integration process and create alignment across all partners
Work across all stakeholders to ensure feedback is incorporated into project schedules and statement of work