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.

MATERIALS ENGINEER, LAB

We are seeking a motivated Lab Engineer to support our Materials Labs, where we conduct a wide variety of material testing and development directly supporting every single program at SpaceX. The Materials Lab sits within our Materials Engineering organization where our vision is to seamlessly integrate with all program partners to quickly deliver reliable, cost effective and scalable materials solutions that enable SpaceX to achieve a multi-planetary future.

This individual will be part of a brand-new engineering team within the Materials Labs, focusing on new capability advancement, equipment expertise, process flow, root causing issues, and much more. We are entering a new chapter for our Materials Labs, and you will be directly responsible for critical materials testing areas that directly impact several areas of SpaceX and our company’s mission. Success in this role will require being curious, hands-on, flexible, a quick learner, an extreme owner, detail-oriented, having a collaborative, can-do attitude, and a desire to question the status-quo.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Be directly responsible for a specific materials lab area or areas (mechanical, machining, chemistry, reliability, R&D, thermal, or characterization); understand all equipment in that domain, develop robust procedures and work instructions, directly support the team conducting tests, address non-conformances, enable the team, ensure data integrity, and drive improvement projects.
• Develop and qualify lab processes necessary for materials testing supporting all programs at SpaceX. Question requirements, delete parts and processes, simplify/optimize, accelerate, and automate.
• Analyze and disposition recurring lab discrepancies and lead multi-disciplinary teams on root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Develop new and evaluate existing lab processes and equipment to reduce non-conformance frequency/severity, reduce operating costs/time, and increase utilization.
• Inform the equipment landscape in your lab area; develop preventative maintenance strategies, unlock new capabilities, enable the technician/specialist team, evaluate and implement state-of-the-industry techniques, resolve issues that impact or block material testing.
• Track and communicate status of laboratory projects to design, production, and materials engineers.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• 1+ years of experience working in a materials laboratory.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience performing SEM, EDS, and other electron spectroscopy methods to evaluate aerospace materials.
• Experience performing DSC, DMA, TGA, and other thermal analytical methods to evaluate aerospace materials.
• Understanding of metallography, mechanical testing, heat treatment, machining, and sample processing.
• Experience carrying out technical tasks in direct support of aerospace engineering decision making.
• Experience working with multiple aerospace material systems in a laboratory or processing setting: metals, composites, polymers, and ceramics.
• Ability to train technicians on scientific equipment.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be comfortable working with chemicals including acids.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:
Level I: $95,000.00 - $115,000.00/per year.
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. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

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 reach out to EEOCompliancespacex.com.