SpaceX
Supplier Development Engineer, Materials & Special Processes (Falcon & Dragon)
About this role
SpaceX seeks a Supplier Development Engineer to manage special processes and consumables (coatings, adhesives, chemicals) for Falcon and Dragon programs. You'll serve as the technical lead for supplier quality and manufacturing challenges, driving process improvements and new product introductions while ensuring aggressive timelines are met.
What you'll do
- Act as primary technical contact for outsourced special processes and consumables, solving manufacturing and quality challenges at suppliers
- Root cause analysis on part issues and implement corrective actions at supplier and/or SpaceX sites
- Conduct design for manufacturing reviews and own new product introduction processes
- Drive production part approval process and supplier vetting for quality and schedule compliance
- Lead containment activities and cross-functional problem resolution for assigned parts
- Create and disposition issue tickets, coordinating rework, repair, or use-as-is decisions
What they're looking for
- Special processes knowledge (thin film coatings, thermal spray, chemical processing, plating)
- Aerospace consumables expertise (paints, adhesives, chemicals)
- Process engineering and manufacturing
- Problem-solving methodologies (8D, Lean, Six Sigma)
- GD&T and engineering drawing interpretation
- Supplier quality systems (PPAP, APQP, FAIR)
- Statistical analysis and design of experiments
- MS Office, Excel, SQL, and technical report writing
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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 special processes like coatings or plating and how you've troubleshot quality issues in production.
- Walk us through your approach to root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions across multiple suppliers.