Build Reliability Engineer

About the role

Join an interdisciplinary team focused on developing manufacturing procedures and maximizing product quality through efficient production. You will apply your expertise across various fabrication methods, work instructions, tooling, inspection, and data analysis to ensure reliability. This role involves creating new processes from scratch and continuously improving existing ones to drive production efficiency and manage vehicle risk. You will standardize procedures that directly impact build throughput and part conformity across multiple work centers. The position requires a hands on approach to diagnosing process weaknesses and implementing controls before issues affect the fleet. You will act as the primary process owner for assigned build areas, ensuring traceability and stability. Collaboration with engineering and production will be central to your daily responsibilities as you translate design intent into repeatable procedures.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Develop and standardize processes for manufacturing, integration, assembly, welding, non-destructive evaluation, cleanliness, and checkouts across different work centers.
• Design and implement tooling for work access, mechanical, avionics, and propulsion testing, build fixturing, lifting, rigging, and fluid systems.
• Define and document inspection requirements and procedures to support first article and in process verification.
• Create training materials for production and inspection processes to enable operators to execute work consistently.
• Author plans, test plans, and training to execute processes and collect data, ensuring stable quality at increasing production volumes.
• Manage non-conforming hardware with quality, production, and design teams to correct systemic issues and mitigate fleet risk.
• Collaborate with design teams to improve design for manufacturability and requirement fulfillment, aggressively modifying requirements and processes when design intent conflicts with production rate.
• Conduct build quality reviews to pinpoint recurring and high-impact issues, then drive corrective actions within and outside your work center.
• Analyze production data and quality metrics to identify trends and drive targeted improvements in fabrication and assembly workflows.
• Support the qualification and certification of new tools, fixtures, and manufacturing methods in line with company standards.
• Partner with suppliers and subcontractors to ensure external processes meet SpaceX requirements for quality and reliability.
• Implement statistical process controls to reduce variation and improve consistency across high volume production activities.
• Lead root cause investigations for build failures, coordinating with test, quality, and engineering functions.
• Maintain detailed records of process changes, validations, and lessons learned for future program reference.
• Facilitate cross functional discussions to align build schedules, resource allocation, and risk mitigation strategies.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, materials engineering, manufacturing engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, or engineering physics.
• 1+ years of experience in a manufacturing, quality, or design engineering role (includes student project teams or internships).
• Eligibility to obtain U.S. Government security clearance due to export regulations.
• U.S. citizenship or national status, or lawful permanent residency as required by compliance rules.
• Ability to work extended hours, weekends, and offsite locations as mission needs dictate.
• Willingness to adhere to strict data control and documentation standards for all process definitions.
• Capacity to follow detailed work instructions and translate them into executable shop floor procedures.
• Commitment to safety protocols and quality systems that govern high risk fabrication and assembly activities.

Nice to have

• Experience with building, assembling, or integrating structures, avionics, valves, fluid system components, actuators, thermal protection systems, or other aerospace components.
• Mechanical tooling or component design experience, with a focus on design for manufacturability.
• Involvement in a collegiate or hobby design project (e.g., Formula SAE, rocketry).
• Knowledge of metallic manufacturing techniques, processes, and equipment related to machining, bending, forming, casting, additive manufacturing, fastening, drilling, or bonding.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with diverse engineering disciplines.

Practical notes

• Ability to work extended hours, weekends, and offsite as needed.
• To comply with U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, a U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), a Refugee, or an Asylee, or be eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.