Water Treatment Specialist, UPW & Wastewater (Starlink)

WATER TREATMENT SPECIALIST, UPW & WASTEWATER (STARLINK)

SpaceX is developing a low latency, broadband internet system to meet the needs of consumers across the globe. Enabled by a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites, Starlink will provide fast, reliable internet to populations with little or no connectivity, including those in rural communities and places where existing services are too expensive or unreliable. We are looking for talented, creative, and driven specialists to drive manufacturing tools and processes, from initial concept development to full-scale production. You will drive the relationship between engineering, development, and production teams and will interact regularly with department leadership. The success of Starlink depends on the quality, reliability, cost, manufacturability, throughput, security, and user experience of the products that you deliver. 

As a Water Treatment Specialist on Starlink, you will take ownership of state-of-the-art production processes and equipment performance and reliability by monitoring process parameters and maintaining components, with a keen eye for leading indicators of instability or malfunction, and a drive to correct those issues in advance of undesirable events. This position is responsible for the development, implementation, and operationalization of equipment, facilities, treatment, and manufacturing process technologies necessary for high volume production. This role will focus on our two ZLD (zero liquid discharge) water treatment facilities, one supporting our PCB operations (largest printed circuit fab in North America!) and the other our Chip Packaging Plant (featuring a state of the art panel level packaging process). You will ensure reliable water quality for our partner teams, in a fast-paced, innovative manufacturing environment. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Monitor, troubleshoot, root cause, and improve UPW (ultrapure water) systems, including reverse osmosis (RO), electrode ionization (EDI), UV disinfection, and filtration 
• Monitor, troubleshoot, root cause, and improve wastewater treatment processes, including pH neutralization, evaporators (multiple-effect vacuum and MVR units), clarification/precipitation and solids dewatering, AOP (advanced oxidation processes), crystallizers, and a variety of other processes (TMF, UF, etc.)
• Perform routine preventative maintenance, calibration, and troubleshooting on pumps, valves, sensors, membranes, and control systems; help to define maintenance schedules and support activities
• Define daily water quality sampling, analysis (e.g., TOC, silica, metals, conductivity), and data logging requirements and tools needed to do them, like Hach analyzers or similar
• Respond to alarms, investigate excursions, and implement corrective actions to minimize downtime (target: >99.9% system availability)
• Collaborate with manufacturing, EHS, and engineering teams to optimize water usage, reduce waste, and implement sustainability initiatives
• Ensure adherence to OSHA, EPA, and SpaceX safety protocols, including lockout/tagout (LOTO) and chemical handling
• Identify equipment and process deviations and perform corrective actions 
• Work with engineers and technicians to create operating procedures 
• Use knowledge of systems and existing documentation like schematics and parts lists to create and maintain a mature and efficient hardware inventory system – including procurement of critical spares 
• Identify continuous improvement opportunities for uptime and quality 
• Safely handle chemicals (including transporting and loading) and chemical handling equipment 
• Ensure 5S standards are upheld by maintaining a clean and organized work area 
• Perform other related duties, as assigned, for the purpose of ensuring an efficient and effective work environment 
• Work with engineers, technicians, and fabricators to implement fluid and mechanical designs in the field 
• work with engineers and technicians to create operating procedure

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