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Supplier Development Engineer, Cables (Starlink)

SpaceX· Starlink - Supply Chain Engineering
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Bastrop, TXFull-timePosted 5mo ago

About the role

Senior-level supplier development role focused on PoE cables, AC power cords, and connectivity components for Starlink User Terminal. Responsible for end-to-end supplier development from strategic selection and NPI through high-volume production, including quality, process engineering, and field performance feedback.

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 EMI/EMC compliance
  • Create and standardize qualification protocols across the cable supply base, including equipment buy-off checklists, FAT, SAT, and reliability demonstration methods
  • Drive supplier performance improvement through Lean methodologies, supplier scorecards, process audits, and systematic problem solving to deliver gains in quality, cost, and on-time delivery
  • Perform root cause analysis and lead corrective actions for quality issues (insulation cracking, conductor fatigue/breakage, poor crimp termination, increased contact resistance, PoE overheating, shield discontinuities, strain relief failures)
  • Perform reactive quality engineering support, including rapid containment, 8D and 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 monitoring field performance and feeding lessons learned back to design and process engineering teams
  • Partner 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

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, or other engineering discipline
  • 1+ years of experience in cable engineering, quality engineering, reliability engineering, or supplier development (internship and extracurricular experience applicable)

Skills

Required:PoE standards knowledgeCable manufacturing processesReading cable drawings and specs
Nice to have:PPAP/APQP/DFMEA/PFMEA/FAIReliability and qualification testingLean and problem-solvingStatistical tools/DOE/Six Sigma

Benefits

  • Note: Benefits not listed in description; not included
Last updated Jul 8, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

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