Chemical Engineer, PCB
Job description
About the role
The Starlink team at Bastrop is building the high-speed internet hardware that connects millions of users around the planet, and the printed circuit board line at this site is on track to become the largest PCB manufacturing facility in North America. As a Chemical Engineer, you will own the chemistry that keeps that line alive: the copper etch that shapes the traces, the plating baths that build the metallization, the plasma and chemical processes that treat the boards, and the waste treatment systems that keep the whole flow sustainable at scale. PCB fabrication is wet chemistry at production volumes, and this role sits exactly where process science meets manufacturing reality. You will design and manage the processing equipment and facilities, understand production machinery through physics-based analysis, and run structured experiments when something goes off-spec. Defects get traced to their cause, yields get defended, and brand new machinery goes from the receiving dock to running acceptance under your steering. Because the site is scaling quickly, the engineering playbook is being written as you do the work: the decisions, the data, and the process documentation you leave behind form the operating foundation the factory will run on for years.
Key facts
What you'll do
- Design and manage the chemical processing equipment and facilities: copper etching, metal plating, plasma processes, and chemical waste treatment.
- Assess production machinery and processes with physics-based analysis to understand the first principles of each step.
- Run controlled experiments to find the causes of manufacturing problems through statistical design of experiments.
- Perform root cause analysis on defects to raise yields and reduce scrap.
- Administer budgets, project schedules, and cost models for new process implementations.
- Lead the activation, start-up, and test of new machinery with a mixed team of technicians and engineers.
- Coordinate between the process floor and leadership so the team moves in a clear direction against a shared schedule.
- Track process control data and turn small signals into the right experiments before they become yield problems.
Requirements
- Bachelor degree in an engineering field.
- Minimum 1 year of chemical engineering system implementation, design, or analysis experience including internships and project work.
- ITAR eligibility: must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.
- Physical ability: lift up to 25 lbs unassisted, frequent standing, climbing, bending, and reaching.
- Willingness to travel frequently, including extended stays for machine startups and buyoffs.
Nice to have
- Master degree in chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, or environmental engineering.
- Experience with complex mechanical or fluid-based production systems at scale.
- A track record of taking products from development into high-volume manufacturing.
- Knowledge of PCB fabrication processes: metallization, electroless and plating, etch wet processes.
- Experience with statistics, designed experiments, and quality methods.
- Comfort working inside cleanrooms and a process facility.
Skills & tools
- Chemical engineering principles and thermodynamics
- Design of experiments and statistical analysis
- Wet process systems and water chemistry
- Project and budget management
- Equipment commissioning and startup
Practical notes
- Location is on-site in Bastrop, TX where the facility is being scaled.
- Working conditions include factory floors, wet chemistry bays, chemical storage, and cleanliness requirements.
- Travel includes extended stays during machine startup and buyoff at vendor sites.
- SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; reasonable accommodation is available with the application process.
- This is a hands-on production engineering role: expect a mix of office analysis and floor time, with travel when new lines are being brought up.
About the company
Based in Starbase, Texas, a company pursues work in spaceflight, telecom, and artificial intelligence. A unit handles rocket launches, leading yearly orbital counts beyond other national and commercial teams. Another unit runs Starlink, a satellite communications firm. A third area, through SpaceXAI, advances Grok and AI integration with X, while managing data center operations. Roles often cross these paths. Candidates with engineering, software, or operations backgrounds may find chances to join projects that span launch, connectivity, and machine learning efforts in this Texas-based enterprise.