Sr. Materials Engineer, Metals (Starship)

SpaceX•Hawthorne, CA

19h•Onsite

About The Position

Our Starship Materials Engineering team is serving as experts in various material disciplines to the broader company and working on making the best rockets and spacecraft in the world. As a member of this team you will constantly improve the materials and processes used to make these structures and components. This role will primarily be supporting component level hardware including, but not limited to 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. Special processing of metals including, but not limited to, plate/bar/sheet processing, casting, forging, coatings, and heat treating and expected to make an impact on the design, analysis, and manufacturing of components and mechanisms that spans across all our Starship vehicles. If your goal is to make an impact on the cutting edge of propulsion control devices, materials, and manufacturing technologies, this is the role for you.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in materials engineering or other engineering discipline with emphasis on materials
5+ years of professional work experience in a materials engineering related role
Experience and expertise with multiple of the following manufacturing methods: tribological coatings (conversion, inorganic, dry-film lubricants), sheet/plate metal processing, casting, forging, brazing, welding, and heat treating

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or PhD in materials engineering or related field
Tribological processes including, but not limited to evaluating and implementing protective coatings (polyurethane, urethane, conversion coating, inorganic coatings, dry-film lubricants, etc.) for internal and external environmental conditions including thermal, wear, atmospheric, and space environments
Understanding of mechanical testing methods for metals including wear, fracture and fatigue
Familiarity with development of design allowables
Experience with failure analysis and fractography including characterization techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and metallographic analysis
Knowledge of aerospace metals including nickel-based alloys, stainless steels, aluminum alloys, and titanium alloys
Knowledge of fluid and gas compatibility for various launch vehicle and spacecraft propulsion and fluid systems
Hands-on experience in a manufacturing environment
Understanding of non-destructive test methods for fracture and fatigue control
Maintain working knowledge of regulatory requirements, perform associated required tasks, and complete required documentation per SpaceX specifications and other external specification such as NASA, OSHA, ASTM, NACE, ASME, AWS, ASM, etc.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and deploy materials and process direction for propulsion, mechanism, and valve system designs and manufacturing
Increase reliability of internal design’s manufacturing processes through material and process selection, analysis, development, and test
Develop physical, mechanical, and thermal properties for materials
Improve our special processes and materials through characterization and development
Work directly with component design build and test engineering, design reliability, and production teams on a daily basis
Perform root cause investigations using fractography, metallography, and testing
Provide technical reviews and advising for design efforts specifically related to drawings, specifications, and material requirements
Collaborate with other engineers, subject matter experts, and technicians to solve complex material and processing challenges on our current and next generation vehicles