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.

MANAGER, PARACHUTE PRODUCTION AND ENGINEERING

SpaceX has an exciting opportunity for those interested in managing the engineers, technician staff, site operations, production and engineering deliverables of the Bloomfield, CT SpaceX site. This site is responsible for the production of the Dragon 2 drogue parachutes as well as an elite engineering staff. The manager will be responsible for managing all outcomes of this site. This includes developing and maintaining production schedules for Dragon 2 parachutes and additional products; managing the staff of the site including career growth, recruiting, training and performance management; ensuring the facility meets the need of the business; developing annual operation plans and budgets; reporting on progress; working closely with SpaceX teams in Hawthorne and Cape Canaveral; ensuring compliance with all NASA and regulatory standards; providing a safe work environment; and setting a culture that embraces aggressive challenges with a reliability first mindset. This role could grow to expand to additional soft goods production to meet SpaceX needs, and the manager will be expected to identify and execute critical company projects.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead a Connecticut-based team to meet targets for workplace safety, quality production of parachutes and soft goods, and maintaining flight rate while operating within an established budget
• Lead a Connecticut-based team responsible for engineering continued improvements to SpaceX parachute and soft goods products in accordance with NASA and internal standards and in collaboration with other engineering teams
• Create a climate of respect, safety, and inclusion and develop a team that embraces constructive, actionable feedback and encourages receptiveness to feedback
• Manage production schedules including balancing new and refurbished products to meet SpaceX rate needs
• Lead daily and weekly reviews to plan operations, assess effectiveness, collect lessons-learned, and efficiently assign resources to tasks
• Provide extreme ownership over SpaceX’s parachute production operations and engineering, and drive continuous improvements to both
• Provide technical and operational guidance to the technical staff, to include prioritization of critical tasks, technical input on design direction, remediation of safety issues, action quality items, and performance management of individuals
• Train teams on proper procedures and quality controls. Ensure teams are trained and equipped for safe operations and compliance with AS9100, NASA, and SpaceX policies
• Conduct continuous assessment of resource needs, including responsibility for capital projects and operational costs
• Ensure systems are in place to guarantee hardware readiness – including, but not limited to, preventative maintenance, critical spares, hardware testing, logistical support, facilities support, supply chain readiness
• Continuously improve the quality, repeatability, rate and cost of products

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or physics discipline
• 3+ years of professional experience working with mechanical systems
• 1+ years of prior leadership experience leading teams, projects, or people

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in an engineering or physics discipline
• 2+ years of prior leadership experience leading teams, projects, or people
• 2+ years of experience working with flight hardware
• Strong communication skills
• Experience with parachute engineering or production
• Experience managing engineers
• Experience with SpaceX operational vehicles
• Experience with drop-testing or other high-intensity campaigns
• Experience communicating with customers, to leadership and to broad internal audiences
• Good response to problems posed by short deadlines
• Past work experience, internships, or projects related to aerospace vehicles/payloads, automotive, aircraft, or marine assemblies

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Willing to be on site at Bloomfield, CT facility regularly
• Willing to travel to other SpaceX sites (Hawthorne, Cape Canaveral) or sites for drop testing as required
• Position may require long hours (10-12+ hour days) and weekend work with schedule flexibility to match the operational cadence
• Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:
Manager, Engineering: $150,000.00 - $190,000.00/per year

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.

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 notify the Human Resources Department at (310) 363-6000.