Supplier Development Engineer, Power Electronics (Starlink)

SpaceX•Bastrop, TX

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The 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 electronics, including power conversion modules, power supply units, and critical power 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 power electronics 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 power electronics design and manufacturing, along with the ability to provide technical guidance on power conversion topologies, semiconductors, and thermal systems. The Supplier Development Engineer, Power Electronics will be responsible for executing supplier strategies focused on power conversion modules, power supply units, and associated power components. This position will have significant technical influence across Starlink engineering, quality, and supply chain teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, power electronics, or other engineering discipline
1+ years of experience in power electronics, quality engineering, reliability engineering, or supplier development

Nice To Haves

Strong technical background in power conversion topologies, power semiconductors, magnetics, thermal management, and electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC)
3+ years of experience in power electronics, quality engineering, reliability engineering, or supplier development
Expert-level knowledge of power electronics manufacturing processes, failure modes, and reliability challenges
Hands-on experience with production part approval process (PPAP), advanced product quality planning (APQP), design failure mode and effects analysis (DFMEA), process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA), and first article inspection (FAI) for power components
Deep familiarity with relevant standards including IPC-9592 for power conversion electronics, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62368-1 safety standard, Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) Q101, Automotive Semiconductor Industry Association (AS9100) quality management system, and MIL-STD requirements
Practical experience qualifying gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), gate drivers, high-reliability capacitors, and magnetic components for high-volume production
Strong problem-solving skills using structured root cause analysis methods and statistical tools such as Minitab, design of experiments (DOE), and Six Sigma
Knowledge of reliability engineering practices such as Weibull analysis, accelerated life testing, and power electronics-specific failure mechanism analysis.
Ability to read and interpret two-dimensional drawings, schematics, and technical specifications
Experience with Lean manufacturing concepts, supplier scorecard systems, and high-volume process capability
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complex technical topics into clear one-pagers and presentations
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and suppliers in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
Hands-on knowledge of high-volume manufacturing processes for power conversion modules and power supply units.
Experience with PPAP, APQP, PFMEA, DFMEA, and First Article Inspection specifically for power electronics components.
Familiarity with relevant standards including IPC-9592, IEC 62368-1, AEC-Q101, AS9100, and environmental stress testing requirements.
Practical experience qualifying Si, SiC, and GaN MOSFETs, gate drivers, high-reliability capacitors, and magnetic components for high-volume production.
Strong problem-solving skills using 8D, 5-Why, fishbone analysis, and statistical methods (JMP, Design of Experiments, Six Sigma).
Knowledge of reliability engineering practices such as Weibull analysis, accelerated life testing, and power electronics-specific failure mechanisms.
Ability to read and interpret 2D drawings, schematics, and technical specifications.
Experience with Lean manufacturing concepts and supplier scorecard systems.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complex technical topics into clear one-pagers and presentations.
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and suppliers in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end supplier development for the power electronics and power conversion 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 power electronics, including silicon, silicon carbide (SiC), and gallium nitride (GaN) based designs, power conversion topologies, magnetics, capacitors, and thermal management solutions
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 power electronics, including power cycling, thermal validation, highly accelerated life testing (HALT), highly accelerated stress screening (HASS), corner-case testing, gate drive validation, and electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) compliance
Create and standardize qualification protocols across the power electronics 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 power electronics failure modes such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) and gallium nitride (GaN) device failures, capacitor degradation, thermal runaway, solder fatigue, bond wire lift, and gate oxide breakdown
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
Own on-time delivery of qualification 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 product and process improvement
Partner closely with Power Electronics Design Engineering, Test Engineering, and Production teams to ensure supplier processes and manufacturing capability align with Starlink’s high-volume product requirements and performance goals