Supplier Development Engineer, Cables (Starlink)

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.

SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER, CABLES (STARLINK)

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 over Ethernet (PoE) cables, AC power cords, and associated connectivity 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 PoE and AC cable 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 cable design, manufacturing processes, and quality systems. The Senior Supplier Development Engineer, Cables will be responsible for executing supplier strategies focused on Power over Ethernet (PoE) cables, AC power cords, and critical connectivity components. This position will have significant technical influence across Starlink engineering, quality, and supply chain teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own end-to-end supplier development for the PoE, AC cable, and power cord 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 PoE and AC cables, including conductor stranding, extrusion, shielding, termination, crimping, and connector molding processes

• 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 cable commodities, including temperature rise testing under PoE load, bundle heating validation, flex-life cycling, insulation resistance, hi-pot testing, and electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) compliance

• Create and standardize qualification protocols across the cable 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 cable failure modes such as insulation cracking, conductor fatigue and breakage, poor crimp termination, increased contact resistance, PoE-related overheating in bundles, shield discontinuities, and strain relief failures

• 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 Cable 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

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, or a other engineering discipline

• 1+ years of experience in cable engineering, quality engineering, reliability engineering, or supplier development (internship and extracurricular experience is applicable)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES:

• 3+ years of experience in cable engineering, quality engineering, reliability engineering, or supplier development

• Strong technical background in Power over Ethernet (PoE) standards, AC cord requirements, cable construction, termination processes, and high-volume manufacturing

• Hands-on knowledge of high-volume cable manufacturing processes including wire drawing, stranding, extrusion, braiding, automated crimping, and connector molding

• 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) specifically for cable and power cord commodities

• Deep familiarity with relevant standards including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3af/at/bt (PoE standards), Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 444, UL 817, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60228, IEC 61156, TIA/EIA-568, IPC/WHMA-A-620 (Class 2/3), and AS9100

• Practical experience qualifying Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6A cables for PoE applications, AC cords (NEMA and IEC 60320), conductor sizing, insulation and jacket materials, and thermal/electrical performance under load

• Strong understanding of manufacturing capability evaluations, including capacity analysis, process capability indices (Cp/Cpk), process window validation, and scalability for high-volume cable 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 accelerated life testing, flex-cycle testing, thermal aging, humidity exposure, and cable-specific failure mechanism analysis

• Ability to read and interpret two-dimensional drawings, cable specifications, pair balance requirements, and connector datasheets

• 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

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time, both domestically and internationally

• Position may require extended working hours and occasional weekends to support production ramps and critical issue resolution

• This position is based in Bastrop, TX and requires being onsite

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.