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.

MANAGER, MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING (DRAGON 2 STRUCTURES) OVERVIEW: Manufacturing engineering, production & test operations are responsible for all manufacturing, test, and integration of the SpaceX family of products. We build a remarkable diversity of mechanical hardware and electronics in-house, thus the challenges we face as we scale our product throughput are unique. We are looking for entrepreneurial and driven professionals to join our world-class team and help solve some of the most dynamic production and operational challenges in technology development.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead a team of exceptionally talented manufacturing engineers to advance the course of production, utilizing state of the art technologies and Lean manufacturing principals to achieve industry changing levels of cost efficiency, process and product reliability and change introduction speed
• Significant oversight of a range of metallic and composite products/processes spanning the entire Dragon 2 vehicle
• Identify opportunities for implementation of high-volume manufacturing efficiencies to a lower volume environment
• Work with cross-functional teams to double production throughput, while maintaining the highest possible standards of quality
• Institute department-wide manufacturing and production metrics, to measure and then optimize productivity in all areas
• Act as a forcing function for excellence and aggressively focus on cost reduction in every element of the production process within the area
• Identifies and develops talent within the organization
• Develop capabilities and manufacturing engineering initiatives to support continuously improving manufacturing performance over a multi-year horizon
• Create collaborative business plans with design engineering teams and develop and maintain positive vendor relationships
• Lead design for assembly/manufacturing activities in order to influence product designs appropriately
• Continually develops capacity plans in order to support customer vehicle manifest as well as a diverse and variable R&D demand
• Provide tactical and strategic leadership to a team of manufacturing engineers

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, manufacturing, mechanical, or aerospace engineering
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a medium to high volume production environment

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• High degree of comfort on the factory floor, working to identify and execute efficiency improvements in all aspects of production and manufacturing
• Significant exposure to a wide variety of machining, fabrication and testing methodologies
• A proven track record of leadership and team building within a rapidly changing environment
• Strong preference for candidates who have a consistent record of exceptional personal achievements and contributions that have supported career progression to-date
• Strong preference will be shown to candidates with significant experience in both sub-assembly production and final vehicle assembly/test experience
• Experience managing a team of experienced and newly qualified engineers in a manufacturing environment

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Position may require extended work hours and weekend work

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.