Sr. Equipment Safety Engineer

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.

SENIOR EQUIPMENT SAFETY ENGINEER

The SpaceX Environmental Health and Safety team is seeking a senior equipment safety engineer to provide strategic technical oversight of machine and equipment safety across manufacturing and high-hazard operations. A successful engineer in this role will operate with a high degree of autonomy, serve as an equipment and functional safety subject-matter expert to engineering and operations, and raise the technical capability of the team through mentorship. This is an individual-contributor role.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide strategic technical oversight of machine and equipment safety programs across manufacturing and high-hazard operations, including risk assessment, safeguarding, and functional safety
• Lead complex equipment safety assessments, functional safety analyses, and risk-reduction initiatives for new and existing machinery, tooling, and automated systems
• Own and continuously improve program elements for machine risk assessment, guarding, lockout/tagout and interlock reviews, control-system safety, and related engineering controls
• Interpret and apply OSHA machine and equipment requirements, ANSI B11, ISO 13849, IEC 62061, and related industry standards, including functional safety principles; translate them into practical guidance for engineering, operations, and management
• Lead investigations of equipment-related incidents and near-misses, develop corrective and preventive actions, and drive implementation of process and engineering controls
• Partner with manufacturing, design engineering, purchasing, and project teams to integrate machine safety and functional safety into new equipment designs, installations, modifications, and operations throughout the equipment lifecycle
• Develop advanced risk-assessment methods, control-system evaluations, and tracking systems; identify emerging equipment and functional safety risks
• Manage vendor and contractor support for equipment safety and functional safety studies, and review deliverables for technical quality and alignment with company safety-in-design requirements
• Develop and maintain site procedures, specifications, and training materials; coach and mentor junior and mid-level engineers on machine and equipment safety practice
• Partner routinely with EHS leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to execute equipment safety performance and build requirements into company processes

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, a related engineering discipline, Occupational Health and Safety, or a related technical field
• 5+ years of experience in machine or equipment safety engineering, including risk assessment and safeguarding, in industrial, manufacturing, or other high-hazard environments

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Deep working knowledge of OSHA machine-safety requirements, ANSI B11, ISO 13849, and IEC 62061, including functional safety principles; CMSE or equivalent strongly preferred
• Hands-on experience with risk assessment, guarding and interlock design review, LOTO interfaces, and safety-related control system evaluation (including performance level or SIL concepts)
• Experience integrating equipment and functional safety into new equipment design and management of change in complex manufacturing environments
• Able to review engineering drawings, assess safety-in-design opportunities, and lead technical risk-engineering solutions
• Experience mentoring engineers and influencing engineering and operations stakeholders without formal people-management authority
• Professional certification such as CMSE, CSP, or equivalent preferred
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)
• Demonstrated proficiency performing and leading machine safety inspections, ANSI/ISO-aligned assessments, incident investigations, and implementation of engineering controls with limited direction

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to work extended hours, weekends, and travel to operational and manufacturing sites as needed
• Must be able to work in industrial/manufacturing environments and wear required personal protective equipment
• This is an individual-contributor role. Direct people management is not required; mentoring engineers and leading technical work is expected

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  [email protected].