Welding Engineer (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. WELDING ENGINEER (STARSHIP) This position will support the development of SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicles alongside a strong design-and-build engineering group. The welding engineer will help develop, qualify, and optimize welding designs and processes. The engineer will interface daily with design-and-build engineers to make welding improvements and 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, gas metal arc welding, friction stir welding, and plasma arc weldingSupport production operations on full-scale welded assemblies, providing direction to manufacturing engineers and welders on correct techniques in a fast-paced manufacturing environmentSupport design, manufacturing, and materials engineering with root cause analysisWork closely with design, tooling, automation, and development engineers to improve welded designs for manufacturingSet up welding qualification test campaigns and interpret mechanical testing and NDE resultsWork 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 techniquesDevelop and implement improved process control where possible using test and NDE results as a feedback loopSet up automated welding solutions in an effort to drive process consistencyScope out new welding technologies that may be employed to improve rate/quality/efficiency Basic Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline1+ years of experience with hands-on fabrication, manufacturing, or testing experience of welded assemblies Preferred Skills And Experience Master’s degree in welding engineering or related technical programHands-on welding experience in stainless steel, nickel-based, titanium, copper, and aluminum alloysExperience with brazing, joining, and metallographic interpretationFundamental understanding of welding processes including, but not limited to, electron beam, laser beam, plasma arc, resistance, friction-stir, gas tungsten arc, and gas metal arcRobot programming experience for automated welding solutionsTooling design experience for welded assemblies to reduce part distortion and improve part consistencyUnderstanding 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 testingSelf-motivated engineer with keen attention to detail Additional Requirements Must be willing to work long hours and weekends as needed to support and maintain build schedulesAbility to perform job duties that require standing, kneeling, crouching, twisting upper body, working in cramped positions in small openings, and climbing hand over handStrong ability to multi-task and communicate status and results with a broad spectrum of internal and external departments 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 EEOCompliance@spacex.com.