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Manager, Starshield Supply Chain

Lead a team to manage the supply chain for SpaceX's Starshield program, ensuring continuity and efficiency in hardware sourcing.

Location
Hawthorne, CA, United States
Compensation
$145k–$200k/yr
Level
lead
Type
full time · On-site

Posted by employer 1 day ago

First seen on Joblaze 1 hour ago

Last verified on the company career page 1 hour ago

What you'll build

  • Lead a team of sourcing specialists
  • Drive improvement and standardization of operational planning
  • Conduct comprehensive supplier analysis
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to define SLAs and KPIs
  • Negotiate long-term contracts

Must have

  • Bachelor’s degree and 6+ years of experience in purchasing or procurement
  • 3+ years of experience in a management role

Nice to have

  • Experience sharing information and influencing others
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Experience directly negotiating contracts
  • Prior formal people leadership experience

Practical constraints

  • Must be able to travel for short and extended trips as needed; up to 50%
  • Must be able to work long hours and weekends as needed
  • Must be able to work onsite in Hawthorne, CA

Requirements

Experience
6–10 years
Education
Bachelor's degree

Not disclosed in this posting: visa sponsorship.

Benefits

401k Match Paid Vacation Equity/Stock Options Paid Holidays Health Insurance Parental Leave

Joblaze summary

In the role of Manager for the Starshield Supply Chain at SpaceX, the individual will oversee a team responsible for sourcing and managing mechanical components essential for the Starshield satellite constellation. Key skills include procurement, supply chain management, and contract negotiation, with a strong emphasis on improving operational efficiency and supplier performance. This position is suited for someone with significant experience in supply chain leadership and a background in engineering or operations. The team operates in a fast-paced environment, reflecting SpaceX's commitment to rapid innovation and responsiveness.

Joblaze insights

  • Listed today — first seen on Joblaze October 21, 2026. Last confirmed on SpaceX's careers page October 21, 2026.
  • Salary band is below the typical range for Management roles (median ~$170,000).
  • Starts above 22% of 316 comparable lead management roles in United States we track (median $190,450 across 96 companies).

Quick facts

Is the Manager, Starshield Supply Chain role remote?
No — this is an on-site role in Hawthorne, CA, United States.
What's the salary range?
SpaceX lists $145,000–$200,000 for this role.
How much experience is required?
6–10 years of relevant experience for this Manager, Starshield Supply Chain role.
Where is the role based?
SpaceX is hiring for this position in Hawthorne, CA, United States.
What seniority level is this role?
SpaceX targets lead candidates for this position.
Is this full-time or contract?
Full-time for this Manager, Starshield Supply Chain role at SpaceX.

From the original posting

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.

MANAGER, STARSHIELD SUPPLY CHAIN

Starshield leverages SpaceX's Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on three areas: Earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads. Designed to meet diverse mission requirements, Starshield satellites are capable of integrating a wide variety of payloads, offering unique versatility to users. With the proven ability to iterate rapidly, SpaceX's unique full-stack approach in developing end-to-end systems, from launch vehicles to user terminals, enables the deployment of capabilities at scale with unprecedented speed. Starshield's proliferated low-Earth orbit architecture provides inherent resiliency and constant connectivity to on-orbit assets, while SpaceX's proven rapid launch capability provides expedient and economical access to space.

As a member of the Starshield Supply Chain team, you will support a group of engineers to plan, source, and fulfill mechanical components that are critical to the production of the Starshield constellation. Our team moves quickly, and you must too. SpaceX has the unique ability and desire to influence and shape suppliers to be better partners as we challenge our supply chain on cost, quality, and speed of execution.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Lead a team of sourcing specialists, sourcing managers, and/or global supply managers to ensure continuity of supply for all hardware within the scope of ownership
  • Drive improvement, standardization, and scalability of operational planning, workflow, tools, and resources
  • Assess employee performance, provide positive and constructive feedback, facilitate conflict resolution, and address repeat issues with corrective actions, performance improvement plans, or disciplinary means
  • Own vision and strategy for assigned categories through NPI and production phases. Methods may include, but are not limited to: cost management, contract negotiations, supplier development, supplier performance management, industry research, and long-term strategic sourcing
  • Visit supplier facilities and accurately assess operational capability, financial health, and capacity in order to award contracts in support of new product development and long-term production
  • Conduct comprehensive supplier analysis, including strategic direction, capacity, market and industry position, and risk assessment
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to define service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) for suppliers and evaluate performance across critical metrics: business outcomes, cost savings, quality, and delivery timeliness
  • Present value propositions to SpaceX executives, including those related to contract awards, cost reviews, cost reduction strategies, and critical supply issues
  • Provide guidance to internal customers on design for manufacturability and trade analysis for mechanical components and assemblies, onboarding requirements, and quality
  • Ensure partners are prepared to support all prototype builds with appropriate equipment and materials for successful product development, ramp-up, and production
  • Negotiate long-term contracts to ensure continuity of supply and protect SpaceX interests

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s degree and 6+ years of experience in one or more of the following, or 10+ years of experience in one or more of the following:
    • Purchasing or procurement
    • Material or production planning
    • Operations or supply chain management
    • Engineering
    • Master production scheduling
  • 3+ years of experience in a management role with direct reports

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Experience sharing information and influencing others across organizational lines, internally and externally
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make presentations to suppliers, team members, internal customers, and senior management
  • Demonstrated exceptional achievements at SpaceX and/or previous companies to execute improvement projects quickly, while maintaining product reliability and mission success
  • Experience directly negotiating contracts
  • Experience sourcing suppliers
  • Prior formal people leadership experience
  • Organized and self-driven, capable of working independently with little direction
  • Ability to conduct all activities with integrity and urgency

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Must be able to travel for short and extended trips as needed; up to 50%
  • Must be able to work long hours and weekends as needed
  • Must be able to work onsite in Hawthorne, CA. Remote work is not considered.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
$145,000.00 - $200,000.00

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

Standard company text repeated across SpaceX's postings is omitted here.

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