Sr. Launch Reliability Engineer

SR. LAUNCH RELIABILITY ENGINEER

The Launch Reliability organization at SpaceX is an inclusive, inter-disciplinary team that is committed to the reliability of flight & ground components and promotes efficient and reliable operational processes. Your breadth of exposure as a Launch Reliability Engineer will be immense as you collaborate with other core groups at SpaceX, guiding the hardware from design to production, operation, and maintenance. You use data to understand the factors that drive reliability, and support quality objectives in design and development teams to drive improvements in reliability in manufacturing, test and flight. You have the ability to dive deep into the details to identify, understand and solve difficult technical problems and also utilize a system level approach to prioritize issues for the vehicle as a whole. You thrive in a hands-on environment and will spend time in the office, on the factory floor, and in the lab to execute on the mission to make humanity interplanetary. You will partner with Flight Reliability, Launch Engineering, and Launch Operations teams at SpaceX to ensure mission success as SpaceX marches towards crewed spaceflight and Mars colonization. You will also have the opportunity to work on diverse projects including our Falcon 9, Dragon and Starship programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Reliably launch astronauts and other payloads by ensuring vehicle, payload and spacecraft processing is efficiently designed and executed. Interact with the various disciplines responsible for the development and build of Falcon 9, Dragon, Starship, etc. and launch pad systems to ensure optimized process health
• Develop, implement and validate lean test and inspection processes for new and existing products and processes, ensuring that criteria are objective and that quality goals are consistently met
• Support the shop floor in continuous improvement and the advancing of a lean, autonomous production system through creation of standard rework/repair guides, removal of redundant or unnecessary inspection, and improved control and optimization of critical processes
• Identify high-risk processes and problems during vehicle processing or refurbishment, and proactively implement improvements to these processes to ensure operational excellence. Identify opportunities for risk reduction and removal of complexity in designs and processes to improve manufacturability/maintenance, collaborating with integrated product teams to drive improvements and address high-impact and repeating non-conformances
• Investigate failures in production, test and flight, identifying and mitigating the immediate and underlying root causes in order to reduce risk and improve reliability of designs and processes
• Maintain a feedback loop to drive hardware inputs that enable a reliable and rapid launch cadence; using data to make the quality landscape transparent and drive prioritization of resolving high impact issues
• Participate in preliminary design review (PDR)/critical design review (CDR) and work with design reliability to ensure design for quality (DFQ), design for manufacturability (DFM), risk quantification/mitigation, and that appropriate test validation methods and inspection techniques, including nondestructive evaluation methods have been considered

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or STEM discipline (e.g. physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics)
• 5+ years in a manufacturing, quality and/or design engineering role

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• Experience in a manufacturing environment with knowledge of processes, controls, and inspection methods
• Knowledge of quality tools such as Lean principles, Six Sigma, root cause analysis and corrective action, advanced product quality planning (APQP), metrology, process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA), control plans, and various problem solving approaches
• Dedicated to adopting a lean approach to quality without compromising safety or reliability
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, enthusiasm for the team’s spirit of innovation and mission of improving reliability in cutting-edge technology
• Experience developing or supporting any of the following products/processes:
  • Complex mechanical/structural assemblies
  • Testing & automation
  • Advanced composites systems & repairs
  • Fluid component/valve assembly/testing
  • NDE techniques & appropriate usage
  • Avionics integration & system level testing
  • Fluid system pressure testing

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral
• Available to work extended hours, nights, and weekends when required by mission milestones

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:
Launch Reliability Engineer/Senior: $125,000.00 - $175,000.00/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, stock options, 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 & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation & will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.