Sr. Tool Design Engineer

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

SR. TOOL DESIGN ENGINEER, HIGH PRESSURE DIE CASTING

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 will primarily support manufacturing and development of SpaceX’s Starlink product components alongside a strong group of mechanical and process engineers. The goal of the team is to develop new manufacturing methods, commission equipment and qualify processes to be introduced into production. As the Sr. Tool Design Engineer you will collaborate with product design, simulation, and process engineering, to establish high pressure die casting tooling requirements, creating fully detailed 3D CAD tooling design models for die fabrication by tooling suppliers.   

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop the CAD design of new die cast tooling from concept through production, including split lines, slides, ejection, vent and cooling system (e.g. waterlines in tool steel as well as internal and external plumbing)
• Provide feedback to product design engineers to achieve the right balance between product performance and manufacturability from a tooling perspective (e.g. draft angles, rib/boss geometry, etc.)
• Incorporate input from flow and thermal simulation engineers into the die design
• Capture feedback from casting process engineers into new and replacement dies
• Innovate new ideas to push the envelope of performance (cycle time, yield, uptime) and minimize risk
• Provide technical oversight of tooling suppliers
• Assist in the development of tooling design and fabrication schedules, then execute accordingly
• Manage product design, die design, and die fabrication timelines

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
• 5+ years of professional mechanical design experience in high-pressure aluminum die casting tooling design

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree or PhD in mechanical engineering
• Experience with aluminum high vacuum, high pressure, thin wall structural die casting tool design
• Strong to expert level 3D CAD skills, including advanced surfacing and large assemblies
• Fluency with Siemens NX
• 8+ years high pressure die casting experience in a production environment
• Exceptional understanding of the interactions between the high pressure die casting process conditions (e.g. die temperature, die & tip lube application, shot profile, etc.)
• Experience transitioning products from prototype to production
• Experience with manufacturing process like injection molding, CNC, die casting, stamping, assembly, and box build in a production setting and a good understanding of the costs and schedule and complexity associated with each process

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Willingness to travel to other SpaceX sites and/or vendors for significant/extended periods of time (in excess of 50% of the time)
• Ability to lift up to 30 Ibs unassisted
• Standing/walking for long periods of time
• Willingness to work long hours and weekends as necessary to accommodate manufacturing and test campaigns

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

• 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. Learn more about the ITAR here.  

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.