Reliability Specialist

 RELIABILITY SPECIALIST

Starship is the largest and most capable space launch system ever developed. With the capability to deliver in excess of 100 metric tons to Earth’s orbit, it will fundamentally change access to space, and is the technology that will be used to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars. We will ultimately need thousands of Starships to accomplish that feat. 

The Production Reliability team is focused on ensuring the ongoing fabrication of mars vehicles by eliminating preventable, minimizing unpredictable downtime, and engineer out risks to maximize product quality, rate, repeatability. We are looking for enthusiastic and creative individuals to merge rigorous aerospace design with automotive manufacturing scale.  

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Repair and maintain critical production assets to ensure their proper operating condition. 

• Technically root cause & solve operational problems. 

• Provide design feedback in system design reviews. 

• Provide maintenance support on various equipment types such as ovens, furnaces, vacuum systems, cranes, composite ply cutting machines, epoxy dispensing machines, environmental test chambers, robotics, tube bending equipment, etc. 

• Troubleshoot and self-diagnose a variety of PLC programming suites including but not limited to Allen-Bradley RSLogix, Siemens TIA, and Beckoff TwinCAT. 

• Understand and trace issues within robotics programming; be the primary equipment contact for troubleshooting and assessing electromechanical motion controls systems (servos, drives, VFDs) on critical production equipment. 

• Read and utilize system-level schematics (mechanical/electrical/pneumatic/hydraulic). 

• Perform other related duties, as assigned, for the purpose of ensuring an efficient and effective work environment across rocket, engine, and spacecraft production areas. 

• Design, fabricate, and deploy systems reliability improvements into production. 

• Abide by documentation standards & design reviews for improvement efforts. 

• Develop intuitive documentation of all systems for customer use. 

• Collaborate with production / cell owners to develop novel ways to streamline processes and increase the reliability of production and testing operations. 

• Follow all necessary regulations and appropriate SpaceX procedures including quality policies, safety policies, OSHA, EPA, NIOSH, NFPA, ASME, NEC, etc. 

 

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• High school diploma or equivalency. 

• 3+ years of experience in a manufacturing and production environment. 

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• 3+ years of experience with reading blueprints and correlating them to physical components. 

• Experience with assessing, understanding, and initiating programming changes to Siemens TIA and AllenBradley RSLogix ladder logic. 

• Experience working as an automation integrator; installing, wiring, and programming new sensors, drives, and electromechanical components into complex production systems. 

• Maintenance experience with various welding equipment (robotic, electron beam, friction, etc.) 

• Maintenance experience on gas and electric ovens, vacuum systems, environmental thermal testing, and ply cutting equipment. 

• 5+ years of experience as a maintenance technician or field service engineer. 

• Ability to use power tools and hand tools as well as heavy equipment. 

• Ability to read and interpret electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic schematics and drawings. 

• Ability to write detailed repair reports (advanced MS Office skills). 

• Ability to maintain a safe and clean working environment while adhering to company policies, quality policies, and industry standards. 

• Detail oriented, organized, and able to demonstrate a high sense of urgency. 

• Familiar with Lean or Six Sigma tools such as "Five Why’s Methodology." 

• Analytic thinker that gets to the root of the problem and comes up with permanent solution to remedy the issue. 

• Ability to navigate, utilize, and close out work orders. 

 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• General physical fitness is required for some work areas, hardware typically is built in tight quarters and physical dexterity is required. 

• Willing to travel to alternate work sites to support fabrication activities. 

• Typically exposed to work in extreme outdoor environments – heat, cold, rain. 

• Willing to work extended hours and weekends, as needed. 

• General physical fitness is required for some work areas, hardware typically is built in tight quarters and physical dexterity is required. 

• Ability to work at elevated heights. 

• Work performed in an environment requiring exposure to fumes, odors, and noise. 

• Typically 50-hour work weeks, schedule varies depending on site operational needs, flexibility required. 

• Overtime is required for particular tasks or test series. 
• Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg. 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: 

Pay range: 

Level 1: $30.00/hour 

Level 2: $34.00/hour 

Level 3: $38.00/hour 

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.