Sr. Sourcing Specialist
Job description
About the role
You will manage the supply chain for Starlink Gateways, focusing on both domestic and international sourcing for mechanical and electrical components. This role involves overseeing the full lifecycle of parts from new product introduction through mass production to ensure our mission goals are met.
Key facts
What you'll do
- Build and manage a supply base for outsourced mechanical and electrical parts.
- Lead RFI, RFP, and RFQ processes while negotiating contracts to protect company interests.
- Collaborate with design teams to influence manufacturability, cost management, and technology roadmaps.
- Evaluate supplier operational capacity, financial stability, and production readiness through site visits.
- Monitor market trends to mitigate supply risks and prevent component obsolescence.
- Present cost-reduction strategies and procurement updates to executive leadership.
- Coordinate with supply chain engineers to define requirements for NPI and production stages.
This role manages the supply chain for Starlink Gateways, focusing on domestic and international sourcing for mechanical and electrical components. You will build and manage a supply base for outsourced mechanical and electrical parts, and you will lead RFI, RFP, and RFQ processes while negotiating contracts to protect company interests. The role covers the full lifecycle of parts from new product introduction through mass production.
The role is strategic and collaborative. You will collaborate with design teams to influence manufacturability, cost management, and technology roadmaps, evaluate supplier operational capacity, financial stability, and production readiness through site visits, and monitor market trends to mitigate supply risks and prevent component obsolescence. You will also present cost-reduction strategies and procurement updates to executive leadership, and coordinate with supply chain engineers to define requirements for NPI and production stages.
Managing the Starlink Gateways supply chain requires strong procurement and negotiation skills. Candidates with experience in automotive, aerospace, industrial, or electronics sectors, proficiency in interpreting technical drawings, data sheets, and bills of materials, and a background in category management including business planning and cost modeling will be well prepared. The role is strictly onsite in Bastrop, Texas, and involves substantial travel. It is an ideal opportunity for a sourcing professional who enjoys owning complex supplier relationships and driving cost and quality outcomes for a fast-growing program. Strong communication and analytical skills are essential for success. The position offers broad exposure to the full lifecycle of Starlink Gateway hardware, from NPI through mass production, and the chance to shape supplier strategy for a critical program.
Requirements
- Bachelor degree plus 2 years of professional or internship experience in engineering, purchasing, contract negotiation, production planning, operations, supply chain, cost control, or master scheduling.
- Alternatively, an advanced degree with 2 years of relevant experience, or 6 years of total experience in the aforementioned fields.
- Ability to travel up to 50 percent of the time.
- Willingness to work extended hours and weekends to meet project deadlines.
- Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee to comply with ITAR regulations.
Nice to have
- Master degree in supply chain or engineering.
- 7 plus years of procurement experience within automotive, aerospace, industrial, or electronics sectors.
- Proficiency in interpreting technical drawings, data sheets, and bills of materials.
- Experience with tooling and piece price negotiations.
- Background in category management, including business planning and cost modeling.
Skills & tools
Category management, contract negotiation, new product introduction (NPI), mass production (MP), technical drawing interpretation, supplier analysis, cost modeling.
Practical notes
This position is strictly on-site in Bastrop, TX. SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Reasonable accommodations for the application process are available upon request.
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.