Recovery Engineer (F9 Booster & Fairings)
Core
Develop and execute processing operations for landed Falcon 9 boosters and fairings, including ground support equipment design, automation, and real-time decision-making to enable hardware refurbishment and reuse.
Role type
Senior IC recovery engineer (aerospace hardware processing)
Builds
Ground support equipment, automation systems, and processing workflows for orbital class vehicles
Domain
Aerospace / Rocket Recovery / Hardware Refurbishment
Deliverable
production ML models | product features | dashboards & analysis | research | client delivery | infrastructure | physical/clinical work
Required skills
aerospace or aviation systems processing, ground support equipment operation, fluid/mechanical/electrical systems, operations planning for large teams, real-time decision-making, automation development, hardware testing, preventative maintenance
Preferred skills
building/modifying ground support equipment, operating complex multi-disciplinary system assemblies, leading operations with 10+ personnel, working in high-pressure environments, continuous improvement mindset
Technologies
ground support equipment, automation systems, fluid systems, mechanical systems, electrical systems
Responsibilities
Own mission campaigns for processing Falcon 9 boosters and fairings at the Port of Long Beach; Develop procedures, test plans, and concept of operations for flight hardware processing; Design, build, and test new ground support equipment; Resolve operational blockers and make real-time decisions; Interface between Launch Teams, Vehicle Refurbishment, and Logistics to improve reuse strategies; Support operations as a trained Vehicle Controller; Create/modify automation for controlling the Falcon 9 booster; Embark on recovery voyages to retrieve rockets in offshore environments
Seniority
Senior, hands-on IC