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. OPERATIONS ENGINEER (STARSHIP)

A Starship Operations Engineer is a cross disciplinary role within the Starship Production Operations Engineering Team whose mission is to identify and execute projects to drastically improve Starship Vehicle production build rate and product rollout.

The ideal candidate will excel in a demanding and fast-paced environment where they will work as part of a strong, agile and highly motivated team to accomplish some of the most ambitious projects being attempted in any industry today. This individual takes pride in his/her thoroughness, analytical ability, organizational skills and attention to detail. The candidate will be able to think at a systems level about ambiguous problems and use strong logic and computation to develop processes and people within the Production and Engineering organizations.

In this role, you will identify production bottlenecks and rate limiters as well as develop and execute an action plan across multiple disciplines to implement the improvement. Then create measures and processes to ensure improvements are permanent. You will also be involved in factory layout, production processes development, and process automation. You will support all levels of the design, production, and launch workflows.

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Work with cross-departmental stakeholders to establish and implement a plan that enables SpaceX to meet or exceed company-wide goals, and performance initiatives
• Influence through direct and indirect leadership of strategic initiatives
• Provide clear recommendations to drive production-wide priorities that align with executive leadership expectations
• Apply process improvement methodologies and tools (e.g. value stream mapping, problem solving, visual management, etc.) to reduce manufacturing build hours and quality issues, increase production rates, and remove waste from complex processes across multiple departments
• Train technicians, engineers, and leaders on best-in-class operations practices by leading process-improvement workshops; providing training and information briefs on key topics and demonstrating “how” by implementing solutions in the area
• Understand the entire engineering-to-production system, processes, and capabilities and ensure production needs are accurately reflected into the top-level master schedule plan while driving process stabilization and improvement through innovative process solutions
• Build tools and reports to allow clear communication of production status and identify bottlenecks
• Work with internal manufacturing engineering teams to ensure that equipment and layout designs align with the overall material flow plan and vision for the factory
• Own equipment-level equipment layouts to optimize shop layouts at the station level
• Coordinate efforts to align relevant parties of upcoming schedule, configuration or hardware allocations changes and make sure our systems accurately signal these changes to all teams
• Champion continuous improvement projects using appropriate metrics and data sources

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering, physics, or mathematics discipline
• 5+ years of experience working in a manufacturing, operations, supply chain management, or engineering role

PREFERRED SKILLS: 

• Demonstrated record of successfully managing complex projects/initiatives to improve production output
• Management consulting experience
• Experience in medium to high-volume manufacturing environments
• Experience using MRP/ERP systems
• Formal Lean Training
• Experience developing and managing program operating plans and schedules
• Experience taking in large quantities of information and presenting it in a clear and concise manner to senior leadership
• Basic experience with SQL programming and databases
• Basic experience with PowerBI
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Proficiency with statistics, data analysis, cost/benefit analysis, and visualization

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Willing to regularly travel between SpaceX Sites (primarily Hawthorne and Brownsville) as needed (up to 30%)
• Must be available for all shifts and extended hours. Work schedule may vary depending on business needs, and flexibility is required

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.