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.
RELIABILITY ENGINEER, FACILITIES INFRASTRUCTURE
As a Reliability Engineer at SpaceX, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability, availability, and maintainability of critical equipment and facilities supporting the Cape and Vandenberg launch operations. Drawing from equipment reliability programs in high-volume manufacturing environments, you will own the development and optimization of maintenance strategies, root cause analysis for failures, and proactive reliability initiatives to minimize downtime and maximize asset efficiencies. This position emphasizes technical leadership in diagnosing repetitive failures, integrating predictive monitoring, and driving cross-functional improvements to support SpaceX's mission of enabling human life on Mars. You will collaborate with production, maintenance, tooling, automation, and engineering teams to incorporate reliability into new equipment designs and overhauls, while supporting the onboarding of new assets.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop, implement, and refine reliability programs to maximize equipment availability, including preventive maintenance tasks performed by technicians, asset component lists, critical spare parts selection, and optimization of inventory levels based on historical data
- Perform Root Cause Analysis, Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis, and Fault Tree Analysis to identify and mitigate repetitive or high-consequence failures on critical equipment
- Design and integrate new sensors onto machines for real-time performance monitoring; set triggers for predictive maintenance and leverage data analytics to enable condition-based strategies
- Own complex improvement projects from concept through design, implementation, and commissioning; coordinate cross-functionally with supporting teams to drive design iterations, overhauls, and Design for Maintainability
- Define scope, capacities, and installation requirements for new equipment (including utilities like electrical, gas, and compressed air); ensure systems adhere to SpaceX standards, are delivered on time and within budget; release reliability programs prior to operation; set up vendor support, training, technical documentation, software programs, failure modes, and calibration requirements
- Implement maintenance and reliability Key Performance Indicators to drive organizational improvements; provide technical support to maintenance teams, manage asset improvement requests, and analyze data for performance visibility
- Lead maintenance technicians in hands-on repairs of mechanical, electrical, fluid, pneumatic, and control system failures; leverage technician feedback to refine work instructions, processes, and integrate with CMMS programs
- Conduct accelerated life testing and environmental stress screening; analyze warranty data and field failure reports; support design reviews for new systems; collaborate on supplier reliability audits and qualification testing; utilize statistical tools for data-driven predictions
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
- 1+ years of hands-on experience in manufacturing, reliability, maintenance, or operations environments
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- 3+ years of experience in a maintenance/reliability engineering role, including planning mechanical/electrical projects and working with automated industrial and facilities equipment and systems (e.g., CNC, SMT, 3D printing, robotics, tooling, furnaces, chillers, water jet, friction stir weld, metal spinning)
- Hands-on experience troubleshooting equipment control systems, machinery, and industrial automation; developed understanding of mechanical, fluid, electrical, and pneumatic component functions
- Proficiency reading and interpreting equipment schematics, P&IDs, OEM manuals, and mechanical/electrical drawings
- Experience with CMMS/MRP/ERP systems, Microsoft SQL, Power BI, and data visualization tools for analyzing asset performance
- Familiarity with Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) principles, Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE), or Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP)
- Basic understanding of maintenance/reliability KPIs; experience with statistical reliability tools
- Strong interpersonal, diplomacy, and communication skills for summarizing accomplishments in fast-paced environments; detail-oriented, organized, with a high sense of urgency
- Advanced Microsoft Office proficiency, Smartsheet, Jira, or project management tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Primavera)
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral
- Provide 24/7 on-call support for critical activities and emergency situations; ability to work extended hours, evenings, weekends, and in dynamic operational environments
- Occasional travel to SpaceX sites (e.g., ~10%); flexibility in schedules due to operational needs
- Work performed in an environment requiring exposure to fumes, odors, and noise
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be 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 reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.