New

Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Mesh Optical (Starmind)

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.

LEAD MANUFACTURING ENGINEER, MESH OPTICAL (STARMIND)  

As the Lead Manufacturing Engineer of optical transceiver production at SpaceX, you will own manufacturing engineering strategy and production execution across the factory: scaling lines, deploying new automated production cells, driving yield and throughput, and building the team to sustain it. You will own the relationship between our process and production teams. You will provide input into the design and development of new and existing hardware and take a lead role in manufacturing on our current and next generation Starlink products and AI compute. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

  • Own manufacturing engineering strategy and production execution across the factory, including line scaling, capacity planning, and production readiness for new products
  • Design and scale automated production cells for precision electro-mechanical and optical assemblies, integrating robotics, alignment systems, inspection, and test automation
  • Own product-to-manufacturing handoff in partnership with mechanical, process, and optical engineering teams, driving design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly feedback into product development
  • Define and evolve production workflows, material flow, line layout, and inventory and traceability systems to support increasing volume and product complexity
  • Lead hardware-side MES integration and factory data system development, ensuring production data supports real-time decision-making, traceability, and continuous improvement
  • Own factory performance metrics—yield, scrap, throughput, uptime, cycle time, and reliability—and drive systematic improvement against targets
  • Build, lead, and develop the manufacturing engineering organization, including production engineering and production leadership roles, scaling the team in step with factory growth
  • Partner with supply chain and procurement to qualify incoming materials and components and ensure supplier quality supports production yield targets
  • Establish and maintain manufacturing process documentation, control plans, and qualification procedures 

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
  • 5+ years of experience working with automated integration lines, high volume electronics manufacturing or similar
  • 1+ years of experience leading a team of engineers, either as a project leader or as a leader in professional environment with direct reports

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Experience with micron-scale assembly, optical alignment, or die/chip-level packaging processes
  • Experience hiring, mentoring, and organizational development of engineering team 
  • Experience implementing or evolving MES and production data systems
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach to factory performance
  • Demonstrated ownership of yield and ramp performance in complex hardware manufacturing environments
  • Proven experience scaling automated production lines beyond pilot and NPI into sustained high-volume manufacturing
  • Background in semiconductor, photonic, advanced packaging, or precision electro-optical manufacturing
  • Experience scaling manufacturing operations in high-growth hardware companies, including standing up new lines or new factories
  • Experience with factory automation architectures, including integration of robotic handling, machine vision, and in-line metrology
  • Familiarity with statistical process control, process capability analysis, and reliability qualification methodologies
  • Experience managing relationships with equipment vendors and integrators for custom or semi-custom production tooling
  • Experience with cleanroom or controlled-environment manufacturing operations 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS 

  • Available to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed 
  • Willingness to travel as needed  

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

  • To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.  

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com. 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at SpaceX? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Portfolio or Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Attach additional content you'd like us to review with your application. Please combine multiple attachments into a single .zip file.

Select...

If event or other, please specify below.

Select...

Please convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale. Select "Not applicable/Do not recall" if you do not have or do not remember your undergraduate GPA. 

Select...

Please convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale. Select "Not applicable/Do not recall" if you do not have or do not remember your graduate GPA. 

Select...

Please convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale. Select "Not applicable/Do not recall" if you do not have or do not remember your doctorate GPA. 

Select...

Please indicate your test score on the 1600 or 2400 scale. Select "Did not take" if you have not taken the SAT.

Select...

Select "Did not take" if you have not taken the ACT.

Select...
Select...
Select...

This includes internships and full-time employment.

Select...
Select...
Select...

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in SpaceX’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...