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.

RECOVERY OPERATIONS ENGINEER

As a recovery engineer you will be focused on droneship and recovery vessel mission readiness and success of the SpaceX fleet. In this role, you will work with the team supporting offshore operations to troubleshoot, plan repairs and hardware improvements, improve maintenance, and verify mission readiness of mission-specific recovery ground support equipment. You will be responsible for developing new concepts of operations for vehicle recovery and processing, writing test plans and procedures to improve recovery efficiency to meet a blistering launch cadence, and taking extreme ownership over the ground support equipment, and droneship systems to successfully recover and safe landed Falcon 9 boosters and fairings. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Work with a staff of engineers, specialists, and technicians to achieve overall success of either droneship or Dragon recovery program to include both crew and cargo missions
  • Learn and improve droneship and space support vessel operations in the post recovery phase including active recovery operations and refurbishment while at sea
  • Provide extreme ownership over SpaceX’s fleet of recovery vessels
  • Provide technical and strategic guidance to other engineers, specialists and technicians on the team
  • Manufacture, build, install and activate droneship and space support vessel recovery systems – mechanical, fluid and electrical systems
  • Analyze complex problems involving multiple stakeholders, driving towards optimal solutions in an uncertain and ambiguous future landscape. Develop advanced tools to analyze scheduling, capacity, costs vs benefits, maintenance, and operations to guide executive decisions in anticipation of change.
  • Provide on-mission support in troubleshooting equipment at sea when necessary
  • Provide offshore engineering support when necessary, including spending a week or more at sea
  • Gap fill resource shortages on other recovery operations

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
  • 1+ years of professional experience working in a maritime, aerospace, transportation, manufacturing or production environment

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • 2+ years of hands-on experience building, maintaining, modifying, and operating mechanical/fluids/electrical ground support equipment
  • 5+ years of experience developing and/or processing aerospace systems
  • Experience planning, executing and improving operations involving more than 10 personnel
  • Experience with hazardous chemical/material handling
  • Experience in writing test plans and test procedures
  • Experience with complex, multi-disciplinary system assemblies
  • Past work experience, internships, or projects related to aerospace vehicles/payloads, automotive, aircraft, or marine assemblies
  • Ability to work in fast-paced, high stress environments
  • Ability to work autonomously, prioritize work, and make resource allocation recommendations that involve risk and uncertainty

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral
  • Position requires a Merchant Mariner credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing in accordance with 46 CFR 16 and 49 CFR 40
  • Must be available for all shifts, extended hours, and/or weekends as needed
  • Must be able to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted
  • Must be able to work outdoors and in maritime environments
  • Must be able to support offshore operations, including working recovery missions at sea

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay range:
Recovery Operations Engineer/Level I: $95,000.00 - $115,000.00/per year
Recovery Operations Engineer/Level II: $110,000.00 - $130,000.00/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.

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