Build Reliability Engineer

SpaceX

Confirmed live yesterday High trust

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Hawthorne, CA
Salary: $100,000–$117,500 / yr
Posted: 17 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live yesterday
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Below market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $180k

This role $109k

$86k most similar roles pay here $234k

This role pays less than 96% of similar roles. Most pay $146,375–$214,000 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $109k versus about $180k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft with the mission of enabling humans to become a multi-planetary species. It operates the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship launch vehicles, as well as the Starlink satellite internet constellation.

SpaceX currently has 680 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $130,000–$165,000 across 442 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at SpaceX

At a glance

TL;DR · Build Reliability Engineer

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As a Build Reliability Engineer (Falcon/Dragon), you will join an inter-disciplinary team focused on the reliability of flight components and production assemblies. You will collaborate with design and manufacturing teams to create quality plans, develop Lean test and inspection processes, and monitor product success during production ramp-up. Your daily work involves conducting build quality reviews, investigating root causes for failures in production or flight, and managing non-conforming products. To succeed, you must utilize tools such as statistical process control, root cause analysis, PFMEA, and measurement systems analysis while applying Lean principles to manufacturing environments. The role addresses the technical challenge of ensuring high reliability for complex mechanical assemblies, advanced composites, fluid components, and avionics integration. You will solve problems related to manufacturability and risk reduction to ensure hardware meets rigorous design intent and safety standards.

Skills

Lean Root Cause Analysis Statistical Process Control PFMEA APQP Metrology Design of Experiments Measurement Systems Analysis CNC Machining Avionics Pressure Testing

What you'll do

Create quality plans for flight hardware including prototype testing, first article inspections, and risk reduction strategies.
Develop and validate Lean test and inspection processes to ensure manufacturing goals are met.
Monitor production ramp-up success using a suite of quality and analysis tools.
Conduct build quality reviews to identify opportunities for reducing design complexity and improving manufacturability.
Investigate failures in production, test, and flight to mitigate root causes and improve reliability.
Contain non-conforming products and provide guidance to technicians on quarantine and rework activities.
Support shop floor continuous improvement by creating standard repair guides and optimizing critical processes.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or physics.
1+ years of experience in a manufacturing, quality, and/or design engineering role.
Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible for required export control authorizations.
Master's degree in mechanical, aerospace, materials, or electrical engineering (preferred).
Experience with high volume manufacturing, test, and quality environments (preferred).
Knowledge of Lean principles, MSA, DOE, SPC, root cause analysis, APQP, metrology, PFMEA, and control plans (preferred).
Experience with specific products/processes like composites, fluid systems, CNC machining, or avionics (preferred).
Ability to work extended hours, weekends, and offsite as needed.

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