Sr. Welding Engineer (Starship Components)

About the role

SpaceX continues to revolutionize the launch industry by combining advanced technological developments with pragmatic and lean manufacturing. Materials used on SpaceX vehicles are designed to withstand the extreme environments of launch, on-orbit operations, and reentry.

This role will lead a team responsible for the support of advanced welding and joining processes on follow-control devices and mechanisms that drive critical capabilities on Starship/Super Heavy - from regulators and butterfly valves to flap/fin actuators.

We design, manufacture, and test valves, regulators, and actuators for maximum reliability in extreme environments, compatibility with various fluids, temperatures ranging from 80 to 800K, and pressures beyond 800 bar.

This position will own the manufacturing and development of SpaceX's Starship components. A strong group of design and build engineers. The person in this position will help develop, qualify, and optimize welding designs and processes, including but not limited to electron beam welding, laser beam welding, gas tungsten arc welding, orbital tube welding, resistance welding, gas metal arc welding, and plasma arc welding.

The welding engineer in this role will interface daily with design, tooling, automation, build, and test engineers to make welding judgment calls and improvements and will enforce standardized practices and procedures on multiple welded assemblies.

Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and qualify weld processes and parameters for multiple welding processes including but not limited to electron beam welding, laser beam welding, gas tungsten arc welding, orbital tube welding, resistance welding, and gas metal arc welding
• Support production operations on full scale welded assemblies, providing direction to production technicians, specialists, and welders on correct techniques in a fast paced manufacturing environment
• Support design, manufacturing, and materials engineering with root cause analysis
• Work closely with design, tooling, automation, and test engineers to improve welded designs for manufacturing
• Set up welding qualification test campaigns and interpret mechanical testing and NDE results
• Work closely with NDE personnel to interpret weld quality on development and flight hardware in addition to developing and implementing innovative state-of-the-art NDE techniques
• Develop and implement improved process control where possible using test and NDE results as feedback loop
• Set up automated welding solutions in an effort to drive process consistency
• Scope out new welding technologies that may be employed to improve rate/quality/efficiency

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
• 5+ years of experience with hands-on fabrication, manufacturing, or testing experience with welded assemblies

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Advanced degree in welding engineering, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or physics
• Expertise and engineering knowledge in tooling, automation, welding engineering, components design, and/or components manufacturing
• Expertise in welding processes such as laser, electron beam, OTW, GTAW, and GMAW, preferably with stainless steel and nickel alloys
• CNC and/or Robot programming experience for automated welding solutions
• Tooling design experience for welded assemblies to reduce part distortion and improve part consistency
• Understanding of weld strength testing methodologies, standards, and data acquisition systems used to make informed welding decisions (ASTM E8, E399, E740, ISO 15653, AWS D17.X, AWS C7.X, thermos-couples, strain gages, etc.)
• Experience with root cause analysis and corrective actions, including, but not limited to, optical and SEM fractography/metallography, hardness, chemical analysis, and mechanical testing
• Self-motivated engineer with keen attention to detail
• Hands-on experience in a high-production manufacturing environment

Additional Requirements

• Must be able to work extended hours and weekends as needed
• Must be able to travel for business needs - up to 25%

Pay Range

Level 3: $135,000.00 - $190,000.00

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 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.