SpaceX
Supplier Development Engineer, Hardware & Fasteners (Starship)
About this role
SpaceX seeks a Supplier Development Engineer to own the mechanical hardware supply chain for Starship—from fasteners and joining devices to dynamic components and fluid control systems. This hands-on role involves supplier qualification, process validation, defect resolution, and production ramp-up to meet aggressive aerospace and flight-rate demands.
What you'll do
- Own fastener and hardware commodity end-to-end: supplier selection, NPI, qualification, and rate production
- Serve as primary technical contact for assigned parts; resolve manufacturing, quality, and capacity issues affecting schedule
- Lead PPAP, FAIR, and capability studies to validate processes and control critical characteristics
- Root-cause defects across heat treat, plating, machining, forging, and dimensional/GD&T escapes
- Partner with design and manufacturing to improve part specifications, manufacturability, and cost
- Assess and develop supplier capability; identify and grow new sources to meet aerospace quality and SpaceX production rates
What they're looking for
- Mechanical fastener and joining hardware design and manufacturing
- Cold heading, forging, thread rolling, machining, heat treatment, and surface finishing processes
- Destructive and nondestructive testing (hardness, tensile, fatigue, MPI, FPI, metrology)
- Aerospace fastener standards (NAS, AN, MS, ASTM, AMS, NASA/JSC, ISO)
- PPAP, FAIR, SPC, and quality control systems
- Root-cause analysis and corrective action (8D, fishbone, 5-why)
- Supplier quality and capacity assessment
- GD&T and dimensional inspection
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SpaceX
SpaceX develops advanced spacecraft and satellite systems, including the Starshield government satellite constellation and Starfall re-entry cargo capsule for global delivery. The company is hiring engineers in avionics integration, software test automation, mechanical design, and hardware reliability to validate flight-critical systems and ensure mission success.
- Website
- spacex.com
Likely interview questions
- Describe your experience with fastener manufacturing processes—which specific processes (cold heading, heat treat, plating) have you worked with, and what challenges did you solve?
- Walk us through a time you led a supplier quality or capacity issue that threatened a production schedule. How did you approach it?