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Recovery Engineer (F9 Booster & Fairings)

SpaceX· West Coast Recovery Engineering
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Hybrid (Long Beach, CA)$100k - $130k + bonusfull-timePosted 1mo ago

About the role

Recovery Engineer responsible for processing Falcon 9 boosters and fairings at the Port of Long Beach, developing procedures and operations, and supporting recovery missions on both coasts to enable reuse of Falcon 9 hardware.

Responsibilities

  • Own overall mission campaigns to process Falcon 9 boosters and fairings at the Port of Long Beach
  • Develop procedures, test plans, and concept of operations for F9 flight hardware processing and quick deliveries back to Vandenberg
  • Drive more efficient operations to improve Falcon 9 recovery cost and hardware health for improved refurbishment timelines
  • Resolve blockers to operations in the field and make real-time decisions to keep team moving
  • Design, build, and test new ground support equipment in support of improving recovery operations
  • Ensure systems are in place to guarantee hardware readiness – including, but not limited to, preventative maintenance, critical spares, and hardware testing
  • Remain synchronized with all recovery operations on both coasts to ensure commonality in both hardware and operations where applicable
  • Interface between Launch Teams, Vehicle Refurbishment, Flight Hardware Logistics, Ground Support Equipment, Responsible Engineers, and Recovery to improve overall strategies with Falcon 9 reuse
  • Support operations as needed as a trained Vehicle Controller and manually command the rocket for critical operations
  • Create/modify automation for controlling the Falcon 9 booster to streamline processing
  • Willingness to learn and grow engineering knowledge across flight hardware processing, tooling design, automation, and more
  • Periodically embark on recovery voyages across the Pacific Ocean, joining elite teams to retrieve rockets and fairings in dynamic offshore environments while solving real-world engineering problems

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
  • 2+ years of experience developing and/or processing aerospace or aviation systems

Skills

Required:Ground support equipment (GSE) operation/maintenanceSystems integration and multi-disciplinary engineering
Nice to have:Leadership and operations management

Benefits

  • Long-term incentives, including stock or long-term cash awards
  • Discretionary bonuses and 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 and 10+ paid holidays per year
  • Paid sick leave as per policy
Last updated Sep 16, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

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