Sr. Welding Engineer, Supply Chain (Starship)

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. WELDING ENGINEER, SUPPLY CHAIN (STARSHIP)

SpaceX demands a new type of supply chain. We require our suppliers to provide premium quality with rapidly evolving designs at increasingly ambitious volumes. This is a highly technical role that requires practical experience in weld engineering and new product development to stabilized production for welded components and assemblies used in rockets and rocket engines. This engineer will support our Starship program and requires a combination of proven leadership and technical capabilities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as the technical point of contact for outsourced weldments, solving emergent challenges at suppliers and mitigating risk to the manifest by addressing high-impact manufacturing and quality challenges
• Develop, optimize, and qualify weld processes at suppliers for multiple welding processes including but not limited to: gas tungsten arc welding, resistance welding, gas metal arc welding, electron beam welding, laser beam welding, orbital tube welding,  friction stir welding, and plasma arc welding
• Support supplier operations on full scale welded assemblies, providing direction on correct techniques in a fast paced manufacturing environment
• Create and develop specifications as needed to flow down quality and manufacturing requirements to the supply base
• Conduct drawing changes if needed for ease manufacturing and/or improving quality while fully understanding the engineering implications on mating parts and the vehicle as a whole
• Work closely with NDE personnel to interpret weld quality on development and flight hardware
• Review issues on assigned parts and solve to the root cause, implementing changes at the supplier, at SpaceX or both, as appropriate, drive further actions to closure, and re-source to new suppliers where appropriate
• Become thoroughly familiar with your assigned parts and the processes that make up the overall assembly and become the primary point of contact for supply chain related defects on your parts
• Work with procurement to find exceptional suppliers and vet them appropriately for quality and ability to meet our aggressive takt times
• Conduct design for manufacturing (DFM) reviews to ensure parts are manufacturable at early stages, preferably prior to sourcing
• Own the NPI process at suppliers for new parts, drawing changes, or when re-sourcing existing parts to a new supplier
• Demonstrate innovation, technical excellence, attention to detail, self-direction and courage
• Drive for results and customer satisfaction by collaborating with teams, leading projects and continuously driving improvement in the supply base
• Scope out new welding technologies and suppliers that may be employed to improve rate, quality, and/or efficiency

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
• 5+ years of experience with manufacturing and/or inspection of mechanical products in a production environment

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in engineering or business
• Fundamental understanding of welding processes including, but not limited to, electron beam, laser beam, plasma arc, resistance, friction-stir, gas tungsten arc, and gas metal arc
• Hands on welding experience of stainless steel, nickel-based, titanium, copper, or aluminum alloys
• Experience in manufacturing with different grades of stainless steel
• Broad familiarity in sheet metal forming, particularly in stretch forming (longitudinal and transverse), stamping (progressing and transfer), spin forming, roll forming, roll bending, press brake forming, hydroforming and tube forming/bending of primarily, but not limited to, stainless and carbon steels is a plus
• Experience with machining and ancillary operations such as milling, turning, and tube cutting of materials
• Experience with interpreting engineering drawings and models; GD&T, etc.
• Knowledge of supplier quality processes (production part approval process, advanced product quality planning, first article inspection reports, etc.)
• Knowledge of statistical techniques and methods, e.g., design of experiments, Lean, Six Sigma, etc.
• Experience with quality systems (ISO 9000/TS/AS9100/NADCAP) and MRP/ERP systems
• Disciplined approach to problem solving - 8D
• Proficient in MS Office and Excel applications and report writing
• Experience with sharing information and influencing others across organizational lines, internally and externally
• Experience with PPAP and related elements (PFD, PFMEA, control plan, process capability, etc.)
• Experience leading containments of discrepant product

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to work extended hours, some nights and/or weekends as needed to meet major milestones
• Must be able to travel - up to 50% work week travel may be required, including international travel
• This position is based in Brownsville, TX or Hawthorne, CA and requires being onsite - remote work not considered
• Valid driver’s license

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:

Sr. Supply Chain 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.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or 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.