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, STARSHIP INDIRECT SUPPLY CHAIN
We are a progressive procurement organization pushing the boundaries of traditional procurement reputation and methodologies. We are looking for individuals who can think outside the box to achieve company objectives regarding value and partnerships with our suppliers. Our organization moves quickly, and you must too. SpaceX has the unique ability and desire to influence and shape suppliers to be better with us as we challenge our supply chain on cost, quality and delivery.
This individual will support indirect supplier management, specifically within categories supporting Starship production such as machinery/equipment, industrial supplies, packaging, raw material, machined parts, and chemicals.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop strong relationships with internal stakeholders, understanding their needs and consulting with them to build quality procurement strategies aligned to business requirements.
- Be the voice of reason and push engineering to make sound design decisions that are conducive to a high performing supply plan.
- Manage contracts to ensure the performance of the supplier to contract obligations and ensure delivery, including expediting as necessary and reacting quickly to demand changes.
- Create sourcing strategies to reduce risk, enable continuous cost reduction, and align with company strategy on payment terms, cash targets, on-time delivery, and cost savings.
- Perform advanced quantitative and business process analyses to identify financial impacts of decisions, cost improvement and performance for assigned categories.
- Improve operational efficiency with AI or other productivity enhancing tools to increase the performance of the team and greater organization.
- Conduct comprehensive supplier analysis to formulate a strategic sourcing plan that identifies new/suitable suppliers, optimizes cost structures, and proactively ensures continuity of supply based on macro market or industry trends.
- Present value propositions to SpaceX executives, including those related to contract award, cost reviews, cost reduction strategies and critical supply issues.
- Execute purchase orders and manage escalation process for “purchase to pay” issues.
- Oversee talent development; help manage, lead, develop, and mentor related positions while working on critical projects.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Advanced degree and 4+ years of experience working in one or more of the following; or bachelor’s degree and 6+ years of experience working in one or more of the following; or 10+ years of experience working in one or more of the following:
- Engineering.
- Purchasing.
- Contract negotiation.
- Material or production planning.
- Operations or supply chain management.
- Material cost control.
- Master production scheduling.
- 1+ years of experience leading a team with direct reports.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Experience with indirect procurement, with a significant focus in machinery procurement, consumable supplies management (including VMIs), or operations.
- Prior experience managing large value contracts/LTA’s with a global supply base.
- Proven track record of managing a high volume of workload while setting and managing a strategy for your responsible commodities.
- Exceptional analytical and organizational skills.
- Experience with SQL and creating and managing dashboards using data visualization tools (e.g. Power BI) in business analysis.
- Experience with utilizing AI workflows to enhance productivity or process automation.
- Remarkable problem-solving skills.
- Ability to prioritize appropriately to meet internal customer and company needs.
- Effective written and verbal communications skills, with strong ability to communicate with all levels of internal personnel.
- Detail-oriented, self-motivated, and able to respond quickly to a fast-moving and ever-changing environment.
- Conducts all activities with the highest integrity.
- Ability to prioritize appropriately to meet internal customer and company needs.
- Strong technical knowledge and skills in current technologies and applications (e.g. MS Office Suite, Atlassian, etc.)
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Willingness to work extended hours and weekends when needed to meet critical deadlines.
- Ability to communicate outside of work hours.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay Range:
Manager: $145,000.00 - $190,000.00/per year
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
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:
- 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 [email protected].
Skills Required
- Advanced degree + 4+ years, or Bachelor's + 6+ years, or 10+ years experience in engineering, purchasing, contract negotiation, material/production planning, operations or supply chain management, material cost control, or master production scheduling
- 1+ years of experience leading a team with direct reports
- Willingness to work extended hours and weekends when needed to meet critical deadlines
- Ability to communicate outside of work hours
- Authorization per ITAR: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible to obtain required Department of State authorizations
- Experience with indirect procurement (machinery procurement, consumable supplies management, VMI)
- Prior experience managing large-value contracts / long-term agreements with a global supply base
- Experience with SQL and creating/managing dashboards using data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI)
- Experience utilizing AI workflows to enhance productivity or process automation
- Strong technical knowledge of current technologies and applications (e.g., MS Office Suite, Atlassian)
- Exceptional analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills; detail-oriented and self-motivated
SpaceX Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about SpaceX and has not been reviewed or approved by SpaceX.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants are a core part of total compensation, with periodic company-run tender offers that create liquidity before any public listing. These mechanisms can make the equity component feel materially valuable in practice.
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Healthcare Strength — The package includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with on-site clinics and health resources at major sites. This breadth of coverage is presented as a strong element of the offering.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Major locations feature on-site amenities such as fitness facilities, food/coffee, clinics, and other conveniences. These lifestyle perks enhance day-to-day value alongside cash and equity.
SpaceX Insights
What We Do
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary. SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.






