Lead Engineer, Development Operations (Starlink)

Bastrop, TX · 2+ years experience · Posted Sep 22, 2026

At a glance

Development Operations in Bastrop turns engineering intent into hardware including fixtures, tooling, CNC, weld, modular automation cells, and the mechanical catalog.
This role owns the engineering stack—design, DFM, and the engineers who run it—so programs hit schedule.
The position encompasses design, analysis, and manufacturing, spearheading large-scope projects from early design trades through fab and handoff.

Lead the Development Operations engineering team (Build Engineers and design/DFM ICs): hire, coach, set goals, and raise the bar on quality, throughput, and schedule
Own design for manufacturability from concept through fab: original CAD, GD&T, design reviews, and design changes that reduce cost, complexity, and cycle time
Own fixtures, tooling, workholding, and mechanical catalog items (cells, conveyors, buffers, stands) from raw material through handoff to the customer program
Act as technical decision maker for the shop engineering stack — what we make, how we make it, and when we push a design back to the RE
Partner with Development Supervisors on intake, queue, and expedite
Partner with CNC programmers, machinists, welders, ACE specialists, and inventory
Drive NCR, root cause, and corrective action on non-conforming product (tooling, cells, fixtures, piece parts)
Create and maintain build documentation: procedures, MBOMs, integration instructions, and planning that technicians and vendors can execute
Interface with supply chain and vendors so piece parts and sub-assemblies hit rate
Present look-ahead with a recommendation (options, capacity, risk)

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or other engineering discipline
2+ year leading a product development, manufacturing engineering, or project team
3+ years of hands-on design, analysis, build, and/or manufacturing of mechanical or electromechanical hardware
Hands-on: time on the floor with hardware, not only in CAD
Willing to work weekends and extended hours as needed for program milestones
Occasional travel to other SpaceX sites
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State

2+ years of experience with CAD (NX, SolidWorks, or equivalent)
Demonstrated full-cycle ownership of a hardware project from concept through fab and handoff
Design for manufacturability (DFM/DFA) with design teams — including pushing back on over-constrained CAD
GD&T you can inspect
Fixtures, tooling, weldments, or modular automation / material-handling equipment
CNC, conventional machining, or weld/fab process
FEA / first-principles structures calcs on tooling and stands
NX and Teamcenter (or equivalent PLM)