SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
SR. SYSTEM RELIABILITY ENGINEER (STARLINK SATELLITE ENGINEERING)
The Senior System Reliability Engineer is responsible for overall satellite system design reliability and qualification, production build reliability, and on orbit reliability. This individual will be responsible for bringing the technical leadership required to make sure Starlink satellites are launched safely and reliably for the full mission duration.
You will collaborate with other core groups at SpaceX, guiding the hardware from design to production and operation. You understand the factors that drive reliability, and you will support quality objectives in design and development teams to drive improvements in reliability in design, manufacturing, test and on orbit. You can dive deep into the details to identify, understand, and solve difficult technical problems and utilize a system level approach to prioritize issues for the vehicle as a whole. You will lead investigations, drive corrective actions, and ensure that the lessons learned are communicated to every applicable discipline.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Partner with design engineering and manufacturing teams through product development and production to create reliability and quality plans for flight hardware, including identification of key characteristics, prototype testing for functionality and manufacturability, first article and detailed inspection planning, and consideration of past failures and lessons learned
- Investigate failures in production, test, and on orbit, identifying and mitigating the immediate and underlying root causes to reduce risk and improve reliability of designs and processes
- Develop, implement, and validate test and inspection processes for new and existing products and processes, ensuring that criteria are objective and that quality goals are consistently met
- Monitor the success of products and processes through production ramp-up using a suite of quality and analysis tools
- Conduct design/quality/build/test reviews to ensure that design intent is achieved and well-communicated; identify opportunities for risk reduction and removal of complexity in designs and processes to improve manufacturability, collaborating with integrated product teams to drive improvements and address high-impact and repeating non-conformances
- Contain suspect or known non-conforming product, providing guidance to quality inspectors, technicians, shop supervisors and engineers to assist in quarantining and rework activities
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
- 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing, reliability and/or design engineering role
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Knowledge of the disciplines necessary for spacecraft flight including structures, propulsion, avionics, guidance, navigation and control, flight software, dynamics, launch and mission operations, systems engineering and integration. Practical experience in hardware development projects
- Capable of solving complex problems on schedule as an individual or as a member or leader of a team. Comfortable seeking out information to solve problems and organizing it in a manner that helps decision-making
- Strong analytical skills coupled with an excellent ability to communicate with engineers in all disciplines and at every level
- Demonstrated experience in leading or working on a multi-disciplinary engineering problem
- Demonstrated application of process controls in high volume manufacturing, test, and quality environment
- Knowledge of quality tools such as Lean principles, measurement systems analysis, design of experiments, statistical process control, root cause analysis and corrective action, advanced product quality planning (APQP), metrology, design failure mode and effects analysis (DFEMA), process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA), control plans, and various problem-solving approaches
- Knowledge of programming languages such as MatLab, Python, SQL
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- Able to work longer hours and weekends to support critical needs
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay range:
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 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.
ITAR 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. Learn more about the ITAR here.
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should notify the Human Resources Department at (310) 363-6000.
Top Skills
What We Do
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary.
SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.
