Sr. Recovery Engineer (F9 Booster & Fairings)

SpaceX•Long Beach, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

SpaceX operates the world’s first automated unmanned vessel certified to land orbital class vehicles. This role has the opportunity to work with an elite team to develop and execute the processing operations of landed Falcon 9 boosters and fairings. Recovering and re-flying rockets is historic and has changed the industry for the future…and you could be a part of that team.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
5+ years of experience developing and/or processing aerospace or aviation systems
Must have a valid driver’s license

Nice To Haves

5+ years of hands-on experience building, maintaining, modifying, troubleshooting and operating ground support equipment
Experience operating fluid, mechanical, or electrical systems and background working with complex, multi-disciplinary system assemblies
Experience planning, executing, leading and improving operations involving more than 10 personnel
Experience with critical operations where real-time decision-making affects success criteria
Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment including daily communication/interactions with technicians, engineers, and managers
Able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment
Self-motivated and directed with keen attention to detail
Ongoing drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work
Detail oriented, organized, and demonstrate a high sense of urgency

Responsibilities

Own overall mission campaigns to process Falcon 9 boosters and fairings at the Port of Long Beach
Develop procedures, test plans, and concept of operations for F9 flight hardware processing and quick deliveries back to Vandenberg
Drive more efficient operations to improve Falcon 9 recovery cost and hardware health for improved refurbishment timelines
Resolve blockers to operations in the field and make real-time decisions to keep team moving
Design, build, and test new ground support equipment in support of improving recovery operations
Ensure systems are in place to guarantee hardware readiness – including, but not limited to, preventative maintenance, critical spares, and hardware testing
Remain synchronized with all recovery operations on both coasts to ensure commonality in both hardware and operations where applicable
Interface between Launch Teams, Vehicle Refurbishment, Flight Hardware Logistics, Ground Support Equipment, Responsible Engineers, and Recovery to improve overall strategies with Falcon 9 reuse
Support operations as needed as a trained Vehicle Controller and manually command the rocket for critical operations
Create/modify automation for controlling the Falcon 9 booster to streamline processing
Willingness to learn and grow engineering knowledge across flight hardware processing, tooling design, automation, and more
Periodically embark on recovery voyages across the Pacific Ocean, joining elite teams to retrieve rockets and fairings in dynamic offshore environments while solving real-world engineering problems