Responsibilities

Partner deeply with responsible engineers, thermal architects, and rack mechanical teams to co-define commodity strategy, multi-year technology roadmaps, and approved vendor lists for rack-level cooling and mechanicals — OCP / 21" and 19" rack frames and cabinets, doors and side panels, seismic and leveling kits, cable-management arms and blanking, rear-door heat exchangers (RDHx), in-rack manifolds and plumbing, drip pans and leak containment, rack-mounted CDUs where in-scope, in-rack fans and containment, dripless quick disconnects at the rack, PDU and busbar mounting hardware, and structural fasteners — anticipating SpaceXAI density and deployment requirements 12–24 months ahead
Own global sourcing end-to-end for rack cooling and mechanicals, including supplier selection, qualification of sheet-metal / weldment / liquid-cooling fabricators, dual/multi-sourcing, capacity reservation, and performance governance to achieve on-time delivery and continuous lead-time compression while supporting SpaceX's aggressive cluster build cadence
Define and negotiate transformative SOWs and commercial agreements that rigorously challenge unnecessary specifications, drive value engineering of rack weldments, manifolds, and RDHx designs, secure aggressive pricing, dedicated manufacturing capacity, and flexibility without compromising structural, leak, and thermal standards required for SpaceX training clusters
Drive continuous cost leadership through should-cost modeling of rack frames, doors, manifolds, and heat exchangers; design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly reviews; specification optimization; and long-term pricing agreements that meaningfully reduce total cost of ownership while accelerating time-to-scale
Act as the supplier interface for all RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs; visit rack and cooling factories and accurately assess stamping, welding, powder-coat, brazing/welding of manifolds, leak-test capability, financial health, and capacity before awarding NPI and production contracts
Monitor global industry trends in high-density rack cooling (RDHx, in-rack manifolds, liquid-to-rack architectures, dripless couplings) and rack mechanical standards (OCP, EIA); partner with design teams to identify and mitigate long-lead, tooling, and sole-source risk before it hits cluster deployment
Standardize and automate NPI-to-mass-production processes, implement inventory and WIP optimization models (including consignment and just-in-time tailored to SpaceX's build velocity), and establish clear KPIs for cost, quality, speed, leak/yield, and resilience that are reviewed weekly with leadership
Lead supplier innovation programs- challenge and collaborate with vendors on modular rack packages, higher-capacity RDHx, optimized manifolding, faster install features, and next-generation in-rack cooling that accelerate SpaceX's hardware roadmap and reduce total cost of ownership
Present value propositions to executives, including those related to contract award, tooling, cost reviews, and critical rack-hardware supply issues
Build and maintain a world-class supply base through strategic relationships with rack OEMs, precision sheet-metal fabricators, RDHx and manifold suppliers, and quick-disconnect manufacturers; run executive business reviews and performance scorecards that position SpaceX as the preferred high-velocity partner

Sourcing Manager, Rack Components, Cooling/Mechanicals (Starlink) at SpaceX · LumiJobs

Sourcing Manager, Rack Components, Cooling/Mechanicals (Starlink)

Responsibilities

Qualification

Required

Preferred

Company

SpaceX

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