Sr. Launch Reliability Engineer (Operations and Automation)

LAUNCH RELIABILITY ENGINEER (OPERATIONS AND AUTOMATION)

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 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 providing support to operators on vehicle, payload and spacecraft processing. Interact with the various disciplines responsible for the development and build of Falcon 9, Dragon, Starship, etc. and launch pad systems to ensure consistent operational processes across work centers
• Develop, implement and validate lean test and validation processes for new and existing automation products, ensuring that criteria are objective and that quality goals are consistently met
• Support operator teams with continuous improvement and the advancing of a lean, autonomous vehicle operation system through improved control and optimization of critical processes
• Identify high-risk operations and proactively implement improvements to these operations to mitigate risk and guarantee success
• Investigate failures involving console operators and automation, identifying root causes in order to reduce risk and improve reliability of designs and processes
• Establish training standards to ensure new operators are safe and effective
• 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 science discipline (e.g. physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics)
• 5+ years in a manufacturing, quality and/or engineering role

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• 18+ months of on-console operator experience
• Experience in a high risk operations environment with knowledge of processes, controls, and training 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:
• Automation development, including autosequences and python based automation
• Fluid system operations and testing
• Control systems and integrated systems 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:

Senior/Launch Reliability Engineer: $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 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. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.