Lead Supply Chain Reliability Engineer (Starlink)

LEAD SUPPY CHAIN RELIABILITY ENGINEER (STARLINK AVIATION)

We are seeking a highly detail-oriented and decisive Lead Supply Chain Reliability Engineer to oversee a dynamic team focused on ensuring supplier compliance, driving quality improvements, and mitigating risks across the Starlink Aviation Supply Chain. This role leads both hourly inspectors performing documentation reviews, dimensional, and visual inspections, as well as engineers dedicated to upstream supplier quality initiatives. The ideal candidate thrives in ambiguous environments, excels at rapid decision-making, and interfaces effectively with all organizational levels to uphold rigorous quality standards and risk-based decision making.

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Lead and mentor a team of hourly inspectors and supplier quality engineers
• Foster a culture of accountability, ensuring the team drives suppliers to full awareness and compliance with all quality and drawing requirements while validating that requirements are clear, sensible, and effectively communicated
• Oversee the team’s hands-on resolution of quality issues, including running containments, screening parts, closing issue tickets, executing engineering dispositions for all nonconforming product, issuing SCARs (Supplier Corrective Action Request), and driving to closure with objective evidence
• Generate quality metric reports and analyze historical trends to identify patterns in defects and performance
• Leverage insights to initiate targeted improvement projects at suppliers aimed at reducing defects and enhancing overall quality 
• Update existing procedures or develop new ones to streamline inspections, audits, and quality processes 
• Conduct and prioritize supplier audits, including onboarding audits for new suppliers and surveillance audits for incumbent ones
• Travel to supplier sites as needed to assess compliance and capabilities  
• Identify, categorize, and mitigate supply chain risks proactively, ensuring robust strategies when issues arise
• Fully own preventive and corrective actions. Able to quickly make risk-based decisions
• Communicate quality trends and data-driven recommendations to Supplier Development Engineers to influence design changes for improved design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for inspectability (DFI)
• Apply root cause analysis tools (e.g., 5 Whys) and methodologies like Six Sigma to drive systemic quality enhancements

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering
• 3+ years of experience in supplier quality engineering, quality assurance, or manufacturing engineering
• 1+ year of professional experience leading people or projects

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience leading teams of engineers, specialists, and/or inspectors 
• Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher)
• Expertise in root cause analysis tools such as 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, or 8D
• Experience leading supplier audits (onboarding and surveillance).
• Familiarity with aerospace or high-reliability manufacturing standards (e.g., AS9100, ISO 9001).
• Proficiency in data analysis tools (e.g., Excel, Minitab, PowerBI, SQL) and quality management systems
• Extreme attention to detail with a track record of making quick, effective decisions in fast-paced, ambiguous environments
• Strong ability to interface and influence at all organizational levels, from shop floor technicians to executive leadership
• Proficiency in risk identification, categorization, and mitigation
• Experience with quality metrics reporting, trend analysis, and project initiation for supplier improvements
• Hands-on experience with tactical quality execution (e.g., containments, part screening, material returns)

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Willing and able to work extended hours and weekends as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:    
    
Pay range:    
Lead Supply Chain Reliability Engineer: $130,000.00 – $180,000.00/per year    
    
Actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees in Washington State accrue paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law. Company shuttles are offered to employees for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office Monday to Friday.