Supplier Development Engineer, Materials & Metals - Hawthorne CA

VetJobs • Hawthorne, CA

5d • $100,000 - $160,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Supplier Development Engineer is the technical owner for materials and metals at suppliers supporting Starship, covering raw materials, processing, and special processes. The role takes hardware from new product development through stable production across metal processing, finishing, welding, heat treatment, inspection, and related processes. It requires a materials or metallurgy foundation, sound shop-floor judgment, and adaptability to unfamiliar work when needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering, metallurgy, or metallurgical engineering.
• At least 1 year of experience in an R&D, manufacturing, or processing engineering role.
• Ability to work extended hours, including some nights and/or weekends when needed.
• Ability to travel up to 40–50% of the work week.
• Valid driver’s license.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with manufacturing, raw materials, special processes, castings, forgings, or sheet metal.
• Experience assessing supplier technical capability from an equipment, operations, and personnel perspective.
• Knowledge of supplier quality processes such as PPAP, APQP, and FAIR.
• Disciplined problem-solving approach, including 8D, Pareto, root cause, corrective action, and PFMEA.
• Experience with quality systems such as ISO 9000 and AS9100.
• Knowledge of lean concepts and statistical methods such as Minitab, DOE, and Six Sigma.
• Ability to communicate clearly with all levels of the organization.
• Ability to influence across functions, internally and at the supplier.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical point of contact for materials commodities and processes, including raw material, welding, heat treatment, and finishing/coating.
• Own development of raw-material commodities and related products by selecting manufacturing methods, identifying and vetting suppliers, and establishing processes that can ramp to rate.
• Resolve emergent supplier issues that threaten the manifest, including high-impact materials, processing, manufacturing, and quality problems.
• Lead containment of materials and process escapes by scoping risk, aligning on a path with engineering and supply chain, and driving issues to closure.
• Determine root causes of materials and processing issues and implement fixes at the supplier, at SpaceX, or both.
• Create and disposition issue tickets with engineering counterparts, including rework, repair, or use-as-is decisions.
• Drive requirement and drawing changes to reduce defect risk, improve manufacturability, and reduce lead time and cost.
• Partner with procurement to identify capable suppliers and assess them for quality and takt.
• Review supplier manufacturing processes and quality systems, drive improvements, and own follow-through.
• Own supply-chain handling of materials- and process-related defects for assigned commodities.

Benefits

• Potential eligibility for long-term incentives in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards.
• Potential discretionary bonuses.
• Ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Comprehensive medical coverage.
• Vision coverage.
• Dental coverage.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Short- and long-term disability insurance.
• Life insurance.
• Paid parental leave.
• Various other discounts and perks.
• May accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation.
• Eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.
• Paid sick leave under Company policy.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level