
Sr. Tooling Engineer, Plastic Injection Molding (Starlink)
SpaceX · Bastrop, TX
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior manufacturing role at SpaceX (aerospace & defense) in Bastrop, TX. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
- Tools it names
- PPAP, DOE, Injection molding, Tooling, CATIA / NX
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
How this role compares
Against 115 other live manufacturing postings in Texas.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (10+ vs 5+)
Typical $79k–$132k, from 28 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Tooling 58%
- Root cause 54%
- Lean 40%
- Automation 39%
- New product launch 34%
- Six Sigma 28%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for PPAP, Injection molding, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at SpaceX
We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Andres → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: SpaceX in Bastrop
83 other open roles at this site · 1 person we found on the manufacturing team.
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- Sourcing Specialist, OPEX (Starlink) · Lean / CI · Specialist
- Automation Engineer, Blades and Vanes Foundry · Controls
Full description from SpaceXAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Lead the development of new plastic injection tooling projects to meet a wide range of product performance and cosmetic
requirements
- ✓Lead and refine the design for manufacturing process by collaborating with supply management, product design, industrial design, and manufacturing engineering groups on material selection, design feasibility, and aesthetics of new plastic part and tooling designs
- ✓Research and identify new materials, manufacturing technologies, and finish options
- ✓Inform estimations of prototype and production manufacturing costs - tooling, secondary assembly, secondary finishing, and piece part
- ✓Participate in supplier audits and final supplier selection
- ✓Write prototype/development tooling request for quotes (RFQs)
- ✓Publish and maintain a live master tooling schedule
- ✓Conduct final approval for tooling design by performing DFM with supplier, including reviewing draft, gating strategy, Moldflow, and Mold Warp analysis
- ✓Review and approve prototype/development tool designs, and tooling maintenance procedures
- ✓Track suppliers' weekly build progress while participating in T1 samples
- ✓Conduct final approval for releasing tooling to production teams by assessing part quality at tooling trials. This includes generating first article inspection (FAI) reports, Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) reports to ensure parts meet drawing and design specifications
- ✓Decide corrective actions and direct tooling teams to perform tooling modifications when parts to not conform to design specifications
Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, materials engineering or other engineering discipline; OR 10+ years of professional experience engineering injection mold tools in lieu of a degree
- ✓5+ years of professional experience in direct hands-on injection mold design and/or injection mold construction
Preferred skills and experience
- ✓10+ years of experience in direct hands-on injection mold design and/or injection mold construction
- ✓Detailed understanding of plastics molding-related process variables and their impact on throughput, quality, and yield rate
- ✓Strong to expert-level 3D CAD skills, including advanced surfacing and large assemblies
- ✓Siemens NX fluency or must be able to learn and adopt it quickly as it will be the design package used
- ✓Knowledge and experience in scientific molding/RJG molding
- ✓Strong experience in setting up and performing detailed mold simulations (Autodesk Moldflow)
Requirements
- ✓Willingness to travel to other SpaceX sites and/or vendors for extended periods of time (~ 50% of the time) including international
- ✓Ability to lift up to 40 Ibs unassisted
- ✓Standing and/or 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 .
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 .
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
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.
Tooling engineer, plastic injection molding (starlink)
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 is responsible for the development, qualification, and implementation of all tooling and manufacturing process technologies required to deliver the right scalable solution at the right cost on time. The correct individual will bring an open mindset, challenge the status quo with regard to traditional vs. emerging technologies, and utilize a logical and disciplined approach to evaluate and select the correct set of solutions. The candidate will drive alignment between design, material, and process selection and will own the seamless integration of these processes into the overall process flow.
The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in consumer electronics product and tooling development with domestic as well as Asian suppliers, tooling material selection, resin selection, and qualification, high volume manufacturing, secondary processes, DOE experience and the ability to run multiple programs in parallel with excellent communication and collaboration skills.
