Supplier Development Engineer, PCB (Starlink)

About the Role

Starlink User Terminal business is experiencing exponential growth across consumer, retail, enterprise, and mobility applications. This rapid expansion requires a highly resilient and scalable supply chain for printed circuit boards (PCBs) that form the foundation of our User Terminals. We are seeking a technically strong engineer to drive supplier selection, development, qualification, and scaling specifically for the PCB portfolio in high-volume production. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in PCB manufacturing processes, materials, quality systems, and reliability, combined with practical experience developing suppliers for high-volume electronics.

This role demands a strong balance of hands-on technical capability, understanding of manufacturing capability, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to mature suppliers rapidly to support Starlink’s aggressive growth targets. The Supplier Development Engineer will be responsible for executing supplier strategies focused on bare PCBs, multilayer boards, high-frequency/RF PCBs, including and not limited to raw materials used in PCB fabrications. This position will have significant technical influence across Starlink engineering, quality, and supply chain teams.

Responsibilities

• Own supplier development activities for the PCB portfolio within the Starlink User Terminal Bill of Materials, with primary focus on managing incoming PCB supply chain quality and reliability.
• Build and maintain a resilient, high-quality, and scalable supply base capable of supporting high-volume production ramp and sustained growth of the Starlink User Terminal business.
• Assess supplier manufacturing capabilities, including production capacity, process stability, equipment suitability, process windows, material control, and overall technical readiness for high-volume PCB fabrication (lamination, drilling, plating, etching, solder mask, surface finishes, impedance control, and automated optical/electrical testing).
• Lead Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), First Article Inspections (FAI), production rate ramps, and reliability campaigns to enable high-volume manufacturing.
• Develop and execute robust qualification plans tailored to PCBs, including dimensional and electrical verification, RF performance testing, thermal/mechanical reliability demonstration, and compliance to applicable standards.
• Create and standardize qualification protocols across the PCB supply base, including equipment buy-off checklists, Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), Site Acceptance Tests (SAT), and consistent reliability demonstration methods.
• Drive supplier performance improvement through Lean methodologies, supplier scorecards, process audits, and systematic problem solving to deliver measurable gains in quality, cost, and on-time delivery.
• Perform root cause analysis and lead corrective actions for quality issues, with focus on common PCB defect modes and failure mechanisms such as delamination, plating voids or thin plating, open/short circuits, warpage, copper thickness variation, solder mask defects, impedance drift, CAF (conductive anodic filament), pad cratering, and material-related reliability issues.
• Partner closely with Design Engineering, Reliability Engineering, RF/Electrical teams, and Production to ensure supplier processes and manufacturing capability align with Starlink’s high-volume product requirements and performance goals.
• Support continuous improvement of supplier quality systems and manufacturing processes to meet escalating volume, cost, and reliability targets for both standard and high-frequency/RF PCBs used in indoor and outdoor-rated products.
• Qualify new suppliers and manage ongoing performance of the incoming PCB supply base.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Material Science, RF Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of experience in PCB engineering, quality engineering, reliability engineering, or supplier development.

Skills

Preferred Skills And Experiences

• Strong technical background in manufacturing processes, materials, quality systems, and high-volume electronics production.
• Hands-on knowledge of high-volume PCB manufacturing processes including multilayer lamination, mechanical/laser drilling, electroless and electrolytic plating, etching, solder mask application, surface finishes (ENIG, HASL, OSP, etc.), impedance control, and automated inspection/testing, with demonstrated understanding of manufacturing capability assessment.
• Experience with PPAP, APQP, PFMEA, DFMEA, and First Article Inspection specifically for PCBs and electronic interconnects.
• Deep familiarity with relevant IPC standards (e.g., IPC-A-600, IPC-6012, IPC-6013, IPC-4101, IPC-4552, IPC-TM-650) as well as related quality and reliability standards.
• Strong understanding of PCB reliability, common defect modes, failure analysis techniques, and material science aspects of laminates, copper foils, and finishes.
• Practical experience qualifying rigid, flex, rigid-flex, and high-frequency/RF PCBs for high-volume production, including controlled impedance, high-speed digital, and RF performance requirements.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing capability evaluations, including capacity analysis, Cp/Cpk process capability studies, process window validation, and scalability for high-volume PCB production.
• Strong problem-solving skills using 8D, 5-Why, fishbone analysis, and statistical methods (JMP, Design of Experiments, Six Sigma).
• Knowledge of reliability engineering practices such as accelerated life testing, thermal cycling, humidity exposure, thermal shock, CAF testing, and PCB-specific failure mechanism analysis.
• Ability to read and interpret 2D drawings, Gerber/ODB++ files, stack-up designs, material specifications, and performance requirements.
• Experience with Lean manufacturing concepts, supplier scorecard systems, and high-volume process capability (Cp/Cpk).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complex technical topics into clear one-pagers and presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and suppliers in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time, both domestically and internationally.
• Position may require extended working hours and occasional weekends to support production ramps and critical issue resolution.

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.