Senior Tooling Engineer, Plastic Injection Molding (Starlink)

TOOLING ENGINEER, PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING (STARLINK)

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.  

Working directly in the materials engineering group, this position is responsible for the development, qualification, and implementation of all tooling and manufacturing process technologies required to deliver the right scalable solution at the right cost on time. The correct individual will bring an open mindset, challenge the status quo with regard to traditional vs. emerging technologies, and utilize a logical and disciplined approach to evaluate and select the correct set of solutions. The candidate will drive alignment between design, material, and process selection and will own the seamless integration of these processes into the overall process flow.  

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in consumer electronics product and tooling development with domestic as well as Asian suppliers, tooling material selection, resin selection, and qualification, high volume manufacturing, secondary processes, DOE experience and the ability to run multiple programs in parallel with excellent communication and collaboration skills.  

RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Lead the development of new plastic injection tooling projects to meet a wide range of product performance and cosmetic requirements  
• Lead and refine the design for manufacturing process by collaborating with supply management, product design, industrial design, and manufacturing engineering groups on material selection, design feasibility, and aesthetics of new plastic part and tooling designs  
• Research and identify new materials, manufacturing technologies, and finish options  
• Inform estimations of prototype and production manufacturing costs - tooling, secondary assembly, secondary finishing, and piece part  
• Participate in supplier audits and final supplier selection  
• Write prototype/development tooling request for quotes (RFQs)  
• Publish and maintain a live master tooling schedule  
• Conduct final approval for tooling design by performing DFM with supplier, including reviewing draft, gating strategy, Moldflow, and Mold Warp analysis  
• Review and approve prototype/development tool designs, and tooling maintenance procedures  
• Track suppliers' weekly build progress while participating in T1 samples  
• Conduct final approval for releasing tooling to production teams by assessing part quality at tooling trials. This includes generating first article inspection (FAI) reports, Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) reports to ensure parts meet drawing and design specifications  
• Decide corrective actions and direct tooling teams to perform tooling modifications when parts to not conform to design specifications  

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:  

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, materials engineering or other engineering discipline; OR 10+ years of professional experience engineering injection mold tools in lieu of a degree  
• 5+ years of professional experience in direct hands-on injection mold design and/or injection mold construction  

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:  

• 10+ years of experience in direct hands-on injection mold design and/or injection mold construction  
• Detailed understanding of plastics molding-related process variables and their impact on throughput, quality, and yield rate  
• Strong to expert-level 3D CAD skills, including advanced surfacing and large assemblies  
• Siemens NX fluency or must be able to learn and adopt it quickly as it will be the design package used   
• Knowledge and experience in scientific molding/RJG molding  
• Strong experience in setting up and performing detailed mold simulations (Autodesk Moldflow)  

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:  

• Willingness to travel to other SpaceX sites and/or vendors for extended periods of time (~ 50% of the time) including international  
• Ability to lift up to 40 Ibs unassisted  
• Standing and/or walking for long periods of time  
• Willingness to work long hours and weekends as necessary to accommodate manufacturing and test campaigns