Operations Engineer
Position Details
Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA
Employment Type: Full-time
Department: Starlight Megafactory
Travel: Occasional
About Starpath
Starpath develops and manufactures the technologies that will enable humans to live on the Moon and Mars. Today, we are building robotic systems that locally produce the essential commodities a lunar civilization will require at extreme scale: water, power, and oxygen. Our ultimate goal is to build and operate a self-sustaining city on Mars.
The Role
The Starlight Megafactory is where we scale space solar production from prototype to high-rate manufacturing. This factory will build the arrays that power the majority of new satellites launched from Earth and all of Starpath's hardware on the Moon and Mars.
As an Operations Engineer on the megafactory team, you will define how our factory runs day to day. You'll design the workflows, staffing plans, and operational systems that let us hit rate and quality targets — and stand up the metrics, tools, and continuous improvement processes that make the line better every week.
Responsibilities
Design and own manufacturing workflows across the megafactory — from material receipt through cell manufacturing, panel assembly, test, and shipping
Define shift structures, staffing plans, and cell/line layouts to hit production rate and cost targets
Build and maintain factory metrics — throughput, yield, cycle time, WIP, OEE — and drive continuous improvement against them
Partner with manufacturing, quality, and test engineering to close operational issues at the source
Own factory-level scheduling, work order flow, and production planning tools in partnership with IT and manufacturing systems
Develop and improve standard work, work instructions, and training programs for operators and technicians
Lead root-cause investigations on production issues — line stoppages, yield excursions, quality escapes — and drive corrective action
Support rate ramps and new product introductions (NPI) by coordinating across engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing
Partner with EHS on safety, ergonomics, and factory floor layout
Push back on unnecessary complexity — simplify workflows, eliminate waste, and cut overhead wherever it doesn't add value
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's or advanced degree in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline
3+ years of operations or manufacturing engineering experience in a production environment
Working knowledge of lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies
Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree in an engineering or operations discipline
Experience in high-rate hardware manufacturing (aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, semiconductor, or comparable)
Direct experience standing up new production lines or supporting factory ramps from low- to high-rate
Proficiency with lean manufacturing tools — value stream mapping, kaizen, 5S, kanban, SMED, DMAIC
Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher)
Familiarity with production planning systems, MES, ERP, and shop-floor data acquisition
Experience using SQL, Python, or other data tools to drive operational decisions
Working knowledge of GD&T, DFM/DFA, and manufacturing process design
Familiarity with cleanroom operations, contamination control, and high-precision assembly environments
Exposure to aerospace, space, or other high-reliability hardware environments
Compensation & Benefits
Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA
Competitive salary plus equity package; compensation scales with candidate experience
PTO & health/dental/vision coverage included
EAR 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.
Equal Opportunity
Starpath is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's or advanced degree in industrial, manufacturing, mechanical engineering, or related discipline
- 3+ years of operations or manufacturing engineering experience in a production environment
- Working knowledge of lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies
- Conform to U.S. export regulation eligibility (U.S. citizen/national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible for required Department of State authorizations)
- Master's degree in an engineering or operations discipline
- Experience in high-rate hardware manufacturing (aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, semiconductor, or comparable)
- Direct experience standing up new production lines or supporting factory ramps from low- to high-rate
- Proficiency with lean manufacturing tools (value stream mapping, kaizen, 5S, kanban, SMED, DMAIC)
- Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher)
- Familiarity with production planning systems, MES, ERP, and shop-floor data acquisition
- Experience using SQL, Python, or other data tools to drive operational decisions
- Working knowledge of GD&T, DFM/DFA, and manufacturing process design
- Familiarity with cleanroom operations, contamination control, and high-precision assembly environments
- Exposure to aerospace, space, or other high-reliability hardware environments
What We Do
Starpath designs and manufactures robotic propellant production factories for the Moon and Mars, reducing the cost of deep space transport, and enabling humans to be a multi planet species
