Sr. Launch Reliability Engineer (Launch Pads & Recovery) Verified today

Sr. Launch Reliability Engineer (Launch Pads & Recovery)

SpaceX's Launch Reliability organization is an inter-disciplinary team committed to the reliability of flight and ground systems. As a Sr. Launch Reliability Engineer, you will work hands-on with complex mechanisms and structures that enable rapid, reliable launch and recovery operations.

You will collaborate closely with mechanical teams, guiding Starship and Falcon launch pad and recovery hardware reliability from design through production, operation, and maintenance. You will use data and first-principles engineering to drive quality objectives in manufacturing, test, and flight. You will spend significant time on the launch pads and recovery decks working directly with mechanical and structural hardware.

Your responsibilities

• Ensure systems, processes, and infrastructure critical to launch operations and rocket recovery are efficiently designed, maintained, and executed
• Partner with mechanical teams responsible for development, build, and refurbishment of Starship and Falcon launch pad systems to optimize process health and hardware performance
• Identify high-risk mechanical and structural processes during launch pad and recovery system build, activation, and refurbishment, and implement improvements
• Lead root cause and corrective action investigations to solve complex technical problems
• Maintain a feedback loop using data to drive hardware inputs and enable rapid launch cadence
• Participate in preliminary design review (PDR) and critical design review (CDR), working with design reliability to ensure design for quality (DFQ), design for manufacturability (DFM), risk quantification and mitigation, and appropriate test validation and inspection techniques including nondestructive evaluation methods
• Apply Lean approaches to quality without compromising safety or reliability

Basic qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
• 5+ years of experience in a mechanical, manufacturing, or design engineering role

Preferred skills and experience

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• Direct experience with large-scale mechanical systems, mechanisms (arms, actuators, latches), structural assemblies, or ground support equipment in aerospace, launch systems, or heavy industrial environments
• Experience supporting production, assembly, or refurbishment of complex mechanical or structural systems during production ramp-up or high-tempo operations
• Strong knowledge of quality and reliability tools: Lean, Six Sigma, root cause analysis, PFMEA, APQP, control plans, metrology, and nondestructive evaluation applied to mechanisms and structural hardware
• Experience owning and leading engineering projects end-to-end

Additional requirements

• Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg
• Available to work extended hours, nights, and weekends when required by mission milestones
• Position may require standing, bending, and working directly with hardware on the floor for extended periods
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, Refugee under 8 U.S.C. Section 1157, or Asylee under 8 U.S.C. Section 1158, or be eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State