Lead Supply Chain Engineer, Avionics

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.

LEAD SUPPLY CHAIN ENGINEER, AVIONICS

SpaceX demands a new type of supply chain. We require our suppliers to provide premium quality with rapidly evolving designs at increasingly ambitious volumes. We are actively looking for candidates who possess comprehensive knowledge of manufacturing and quality tools and have unrelenting motivation to enable suppliers for success. This position requires a combination of proven leadership and technical capabilities.

The Lead Supply Chain Engineer is responsible for defining and implementing policies and strategies for near-term results. The incumbent will guide the team in the execution of activities to achieve established metrics, provide tactical direction to employees, and remove roadblocks. Success in this role will require the use of strong communication skills, engineering intuition and best practices, and commodity management experience to systemically grow and mature SpaceX suppliers into strategic partners.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Team Leadership:
  • Lead a team of engineers by providing mentorship, guidance, and accountability for team performance
  • Manage the team by providing clear direction that aligns with the strategy and priorities of the company/program
  • Hire, develop, and retain top talent to meet current and future business needs
  • Represent the team in management-level staff meetings and at program team meetings
  • Demonstrate innovation, technical excellence, attention-to-detail, self-direction, and courage
  • Drive for results and customer satisfaction
  • Develop and enhance transactional processes to gain organizational efficiency
  • Develop positive relationships, and work closely with engineering and sourcing leaders to manage, implement, and track supplier/engineering design changes, new product introductions, and outsourcing
  • Interface with component teams to prioritize supply chain engineering needs by component to improve cost competitiveness or supply constraints
• Supplier Development:
  • Research external market information and entrepreneurial companies to identify potential new sources and suppliers
  • Drive technical product improvements and related engineering drawing updates to reduce risk and potential defect opportunities to improve manufacturability, manufacturing lead-times, and cost
  • Review and assess supplier manufacturing processes and quality systems. Provide feedback, as appropriate, on manufacturing methods and technologies. Manage supplier improvement plans and probations
  • Develop supplier strategies that will deliver high quality, on-time delivered, and appropriately priced parts
  • Deliver results as measured by key metrics such as part yield, cost, defect rate, etc. 
  • Collaborate with teams, lead projects, and continuously drive improvement in the supply base
  • Develop and enhance transactional processes to gain organizational efficiency
  • Define process parameters and criteria to ensure supplier process capability is effective to meet product and process requirements
• Self-Management & Relationship Management:
  • Engage interest and participation of others, and have a collaborative approach to working together
  • Contribute to the team, and engage with internal customers to identify and address opportunities for improvement
  • Show moral courage, openness, and honesty in all dealings
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure optimal performance

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
• 3+ years of experience with manufacturing and/or inspection of mechanical products in a production environment

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience with manufacturing, machined parts, fabricated components, and relevant experience in electronics such as PCB, PCBA instrumentation, and/or wire harnessing
• Knowledge of supplier quality processes (Production Part Approval Process, Advanced Product Quality Planning, First Article Inspection Reports, etc.)
• Experience with quality systems (ISO 9000/TS/AS9100)
• Disciplined approach to problem solving - 8D
• Proficient in MS Office applications and report writing
• Experience with 3D modeling/CAD software, and engineering drawing creation
• Knowledge of lean concepts
• Experience with sharing information and influencing others (strong written and verbal communication skills, able to liaise cross functionally, internally and externally, make pres