Supplier Development Engineer, Reliability

About the role

This position focuses on the Starlink User Terminal business, which is expanding rapidly across consumer and enterprise sectors. You will manage the full reliability lifecycle for hardware, ensuring products meet performance standards through rigorous testing and supplier collaboration.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Manage hardware reliability from early development through mass production and field performance.
• Create reliability models using first-principles and statistical distributions like Weibull, lognormal, and exponential.
• Design sampling plans and test protocols that balance risk, cost, and confidence.
• Establish reliability reporting systems for prototype builds to provide actionable insights.
• Oversee test programs at the supply base, including thermal cycling, humidity, power cycling, and mechanical stress.
• Lead the setup and validation of reliability test capacity at supplier facilities.
• Conduct root-cause investigations for failures and implement permanent corrective actions.
• Collaborate with design, quality, and manufacturing teams to integrate reliability into product architecture.

This role manages the full reliability lifecycle for Starlink User Terminal hardware. You will manage hardware reliability from early development through mass production and field performance, create reliability models using first-principles and statistical distributions like Weibull, lognormal, and exponential, and design sampling plans and test protocols that balance risk, cost, and confidence. The work ensures products meet performance standards.

The role combines modeling with hands-on testing. You will establish reliability reporting systems for prototype builds to provide actionable insights, oversee test programs at the supply base, including thermal cycling, humidity, power cycling, and mechanical stress, and lead the setup and validation of reliability test capacity at supplier facilities. You will also conduct root-cause investigations for failures and implement permanent corrective actions, and collaborate with design, quality, and manufacturing teams to integrate reliability into product architecture.

Reliability engineering for high-volume electronics is both statistical and practical. Candidates with proficiency with Minitab, JMP, or similar reliability software, knowledge of DFMEA, PFMEA, and PPAP processes, and experience with HALT, HASS, and accelerated life testing standards will be well prepared. The role is onsite in Bastrop, Texas, and involves travel to supplier facilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, or related field.
• Minimum 1 year of experience in hardware reliability engineering for consumer or high-volume electronics, including internships or extracurricular projects.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time, including international locations.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee to meet ITAR requirements.

Nice to have

• 3+ years of experience in hardware reliability engineering for consumer or high-volume electronics.
• Proficiency with Minitab, JMP, or similar reliability software.
• Knowledge of DFMEA, PFMEA, and PPAP processes.
• Experience with HALT, HASS, and accelerated life testing standards.

Skills & tools

Reliability physics and statistical modeling. Failure analysis and root-cause investigation. Reliability test capacity scaling. Weibull analysis.

Practical notes

This role requires working onsite in Bastrop, TX. Expect extended hours and occasional weekend work during production ramps or critical issue resolution. SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This role is ideal for a reliability engineer who enjoys combining statistical modeling with hands-on testing and supplier collaboration. The work directly ensures that Starlink User Terminals perform reliably for millions of customers, and it offers the chance to shape reliability strategy across the full product lifecycle. Strong analytical skills and a structured approach to problem solving are essential. The role provides broad exposure across design, quality, and manufacturing teams. The reliability team plays a central role in ensuring the Starlink network delivers a dependable service to customers everywhere.

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.