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.
SR. LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS ENGINEER (CREW STARSHIP)
After 50 years, humankind will once again return to surface of the moon using SpaceX’s new vehicle, Crew Starship (also known as HLS or the Human Landing System) – this time for good. Leveraging the lessons learned from our flight proven Dragon spacecraft and Falcon rocket, Starship will usher in the next era of manned spaceflight and exploration, ultimately allowing us to establish permanent communities on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
As a Life Support Systems Engineer at SpaceX, you will have the opportunity to utilize your knowledge, experience, and creativity to develop novel solutions at the cutting edge of space technology. This team develops the necessary hardware to maintain environmental and thermal control as well as support life onboard the Starship spacecraft. This role is a challenging role, as it involves design, analysis, testing, and manufacturing of components that are absolutely critical to the safety of future astronauts and passengers.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Own the design and development of the environmental and thermal control systems aboard Crew Starship, from initial design trades to fully functional and validated product
- Rapidly iterate on manufacturing processes and development testing in a fast-paced environment
- Be responsible for project delivery timeline from early design through production, launch, and recovery
- Perform systems engineering tasks and fluid analyses
- Lead design reviews internally and externally with suppliers and customers
- Work with interdisciplinary customers to ensure the component will integrate with the necessary avionics, software, mission operations, etcetera
- Ensure designs are manufacturable and reliable
- Exemplify technical excellence and be accountable for your own work
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or science discipline
- 4+ years of experience working with fluid or environmental control systems or components (internship and project team experience is applicable)
- Hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly and/or testing (internship and project team experience is applicable)
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Proactive problem-solving skills such as failure analysis, root cause investigation, and design of experiment creation
- Ability to perform trade studies using first principles and engineering fundamentals to make clear recommendations even with partial information
- Experience with rotating machinery
- Experience with soft goods
- Experienced in NX
- Solid understanding and application of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and tolerance stack-up analysis
- Experience with structural analysis methods (hand calcs, FEMAP, ANSYS) in order to optimize hardware to strength requirements as well as to evaluate for life and fracture
- Knowledge of metallic and fluid system manufacturing techniques, processes, equipment, and other processes such as machining, welding, brazing, tube bending, etcetera
- Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment, including frequent interactions with technicians, other engineers, and managers
- Highly self-motivated with strong organizational and written/oral communication skills – able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment with the ongoing drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work
- Master’s degree in an engineering discipline
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be willing to work long hours and weekends as needed
- Ability to travel to remote sites in Texas and Florida
- Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or 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.