Materials Engineer, Surface and Corrosion

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. This role is for a Surface and Corrosion Engineer within the Materials Engineering Department, requiring practical experience in corrosion evaluations and a deep understanding of corrosion mechanisms and surface chemistry fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Own definition, qualification, and implementation of corrosion mitigation schemes across flight hardware and ground support equipment
• Investigate and analyze corrosive conditions for existing vehicle fleet
• Design and perform accelerated exposure test campaigns to evaluate reliability of corrosion preventative materials over time
• Develop and qualify novel materials and repair methods that further enable our rapid and reliable launch cadence
• Root cause corrosion-related findings down to primary contributors with high urgency and curiosity; drive further actions for continuous improvement
• Maintain working knowledge of regulatory requirements, perform associated required tasks, and complete required documentation per SpaceX specifications and other external specifications such as NASA, OSHA, ASTM, NACE, ASME etc
• Train inspector and technician teams on corrosion inspections and etching methods

Skills

• Bachelor's degree in materials engineering, materials science, chemical engineering, or chemistry
• 1+ years of experience with corrosion, coatings, paints or/and electrochemistry
• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time to launch sites, recovery sites, etc
• Practical experience in corrosion evaluations
• Deep understanding of corrosion mechanism and surface chemistry fundamentals
• Comprehensive knowledge of corrosion mitigation schemes, sealant/coating use, cleaning processes and hardware contamination evaluations
• Ability to own definition, qualification, and implementation of corrosion mitigation schemes across flight hardware and ground support equipment
• Ability to investigate and analyze corrosive conditions for existing vehicle fleet
• Ability to design and perform accelerated exposure test campaigns to evaluate reliability of corrosion preventative materials over time
• Ability to develop and qualify novel materials and repair methods that further enable rapid and reliable launch cadence
• Ability to root cause corrosion-related findings down to primary contributors with high urgency and curiosity; drive further actions for continuous improvement
• Maintain working knowledge of regulatory requirements, perform associated required tasks, and complete required documentation per SpaceX specifications and other external specifications such as NASA, OSHA, ASTM, NACE, ASME etc
• Train inspector and technician teams on corrosion inspections and etching methods
• Must be available to work extended hours and weekends as needed
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 50% time
• Work performed in an environment requiring exposure to fumes, odors, and noise
• Comfort occasionally working in tight or confined spaces
• Master's degree in corrosion engineering, materials science, chemical engineering, chemistry, or similar
• Familiarity with polyurethane paints, anodize coatings, sealants, corrosion protection compounds and corrosion inhibitors
• Ability to communicate and document technical information to a mixed engineering audience
• Experience with FTIR spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, optical microscope, and other laboratory instruments
• Ability to train and confirm knowledge, skills and abilities of others as an evaluator for related personnel qualification programs

Benefits

• Long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards
• Potential discretionary bonuses
• Ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Short and long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• 3 weeks of paid vacation
• 10 or more paid holidays per year
• Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy

Company Overview