Principal Test Engineer, Compute Payload (Starmind) Verified today
Principal Test Engineer, Compute Payload (Starmind)
SpaceX is developing Starmind, a constellation of satellites that capture solar energy in space to power low-cost, high-performance AI compute for Earth. The Starmind team designs, builds, and operates the orbital compute fabric of the future, developing nearly every key technology in-house: flight computers, power systems, custom compute electronics, memory, and networking.
As Principal Test Engineer on the Starmind Compute Payload team, you will own the system that validates the hardware enabling advanced on-orbit AI processing and data center workloads. You will dive into technical details, drive architecture and design trades, mentor engineers, and build the team's technical bar. Beyond test and automation design, you will analyze, validate, and troubleshoot power and fluid systems for test; define processes; and design fixtures and tools. You will identify opportunities to improve products and processes to unlock aggressive production ramp targets.
Responsibilities
- Design and implement test processes which seamlessly integrate into electro-mechanical assembly line with rapid iteration
- Create sustainable, automated test systems with robust mechanical and software systems
- Manage physical infrastructure of test integration and operations
- Interface with engineers, specialists and technicians to optimize testing operations
- Collaborate with mechanical design team and end users to incorporate designs for test optimization
- Lead development tests ensuring incremental milestones for production ramp are met
- Track manufacturing system key metrics around rate, cost, and quality
- Identify tooling and hardware requirements, design and implement them into production processes. Rapidly iterate by evaluating non-conformances to determine root cause and drive test optimization
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
- 10+ years of experience in a manufacturing or test environment demonstrating automation control accomplishments via professional work experience, project/research-based student experience, or a combination of both
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Master's degree or PhD in an engineering discipline
- Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and lead technical teams without relying solely on formal authority
- Demonstrated experience working in a highly adaptive and iterative environment
- Experience with integration and testing of propulsion, thermal, electrical and/or structural systems
- Experience transitioning products from design to manufacturing and test validation, and scaling to high volume as part of a cross-functional team
- Proficiency in NX/CATIA/SolidWorks or any industry standard CAD design tools
- Experience with process qualifications
- Ability to design tooling for high-volume manufacturing
- Demonstrated experience implementing automation into test processes
- Experience working with and defining requirements for ERP, MRP, and MES systems
- Knowledge and experience with testing of pressurized fluid/gas systems