NDE Operations Lead - Starship Mechanisms

SpaceX; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock and long-term incentives

Medical, vision, dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Manager of NDE Operations to lead a team that inspects Starship mechanisms and welding builds. You will oversee inspectors, ensure timely inspections, and prevent flow interruptions while driving quality for large stainless-steel structures for orbital and interplanetary rocket stages.

The role requires strong leadership, ability to adapt to changing priorities, and focus on talent development across production centers.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in an NDE or quality-focused organization.
• 3+ years leading inspectors in an operations/manufacturing environment.
• Experience in NDE for production hardware and leadership of large teams across locations.

Responsibilities

• Lead NDE supervisors, specialists, and inspectors across multiple resource centers.
• Develop Lean processes, metrics, and improvement plans for centers.
• Ensure training plans support career growth and meet SpaceX needs.
• Collaborate with NDE Engineering, Production, Build Reliability, and Design Engineering.

Skills

NDE leadership

Inspection operations

Team management

Quality assurance

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in engineering, materials science, or technical management

Tools

NAS-410/NAS 410

ASNT TC-1A standards

AWS CWI

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Manager of NDE Operations to lead a team that inspects Starship mechanisms and welding builds. You will oversee inspectors, ensure timely inspections, and prevent flow interruptions while driving quality for large stainless-steel structures for orbital and interplanetary rocket stages.

The role requires strong leadership, ability to adapt to changing priorities, and focus on talent development across production centers.