Sr. Supplier Development Engineer (RF Integration)

SR. SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER (RF INTEGRATION)

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.

SpaceX is developing a low latency, broadband internet system to meet the needs of consumers across the globe. Enabled by a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites, Starlink will provide fast, reliable internet to populations with little or no connectivity, including those in rural communities and places where existing services are too expensive or unreliable. We are looking for talented, creative, and driven engineers to develop, drive, and maintain suppliers, from initial concept development to full scale production.

This is a high-profile, cross functional position that plays a critical role in ensuring the quality, reliability, and scalability of the user terminal manufacturing at our global suppliers. You will work in close coordination with internal engineering and manufacturing departments as well as with global base of suppliers to execute effective, creative and smart supply chain strategies to achieve production goals.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and implement RF test cases and calibration procedures for Starlink user terminals at external suppliers
• Working in close collaboration with hardware and software engineers rapidly develop design validation and production test solutions for our high-volume consumer products
• Establish strong linkages between assembly data and final RF test performance, driving root cause analysis of yield limiters
• Use statistical tools such as SPC and DOE to monitor, and JMP to analyze, control, and improve yield across the manufacturing line
• Develop and maintain risk models to evaluate RF test strategies and ensure effective test coverage across corner cases in individual manufacturing processes
• Sustain and optimize RF integration workflow and throughput in a high-mix assembly configuration environment, driving continuous improvements in cycle time and cost
• Collaborate with design teams to provide feedback on DFM (Design for Manufacturability) and yield optimization opportunities with focus on RF integration
• Support installation and qualification of new RF test tools, including both capability enhancements and capacity expansions
• Work closely with production team and electronics hardware vendors to resolve equipment and process-related issues
• Create and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), engineering instructions, and test documentation
• Planning, proposing, and leading experiments to produce timely and accurate analyses used to drive design, development, and supply chain decisions, with a focus on scalability for high volume electronics manufacturing
• Planning validation exercises to demonstrate initial feasibility as well as manufacturing capability at high volumes, incorporating throughput modeling and yield optimization
• Reviewing progress of development activities at supplier locations and serve as point of escalation for critical process related issues, ensuring alignment with high volume ramp-up requirements
• Assigns specific tasks and work with SpaceX suppliers to support process development and/or data gathering activities aimed at achieving consistent high throughput and low defect rates
• Establish validation procedures to qualify process equipment during development builds as well as mass production, incorporating statistical process controls and capacity planning for high volume output
• Actively participate in the program planning and monitoring process assuming responsibility for key deliverables at all milestones, including quality gates for volume ramp-up

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical or electronics engineering
• 5+ years of professional experience with antennas, RF communication systems, or electronics hardware

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master's degree or PhD in electrical or electronics engineering
• 10+ years of professional experience with antennas, RF communication systems, or electronics hardware
• 5+ years of experience in electronics manufacturing, including leadership roles in supplier development or process engineering for complex consumer electronics systems
• 5+ years of experience in final assembly, test and packout
• Experience with basic principles of antenna theory and designing wireless communications systems
• Thorough understanding of RF active and passive components
• Experience characterizing radio performance at microwave frequencies
• Programming experience in Python, C#, C++, or MATLAB
• Experience in analyzing large datasets and dispositioning hardware based on data
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple suppliers and projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to work independently with excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proven track record of production ramp-up for high-volume electronics manufacturing, preferably in consumer electronics

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Position is based in Bangalore, India and requires being onsite - remote work not considered
• Must be willing to work long hours and weekends when needed to meet critical deadlines
• Ability to travel: Up to 50% of work week travel may be required to suppliers in Southeast Asia