Materials Engineer, Surface and Corrosion
SpaceX is a company focused on developing technologies to enable human life on Mars. They are seeking a Surface and Corrosion Engineer to define and implement corrosion mitigation schemes, analyze corrosive conditions, and develop novel materials to enhance the reliability of their launch vehicles.
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
- 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
- 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
- Various other discounts and perks
- 3 weeks of paid vacation
- 10 or more paid holidays per year
- Paid sick leave
Company Overview