Sr. Fire & Life Safety Program Specialist

SpaceX; Brownsville (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas is seeking a Sr. Fire & Life Safety Program Specialist to own the full lifecycle of fire detection and suppression systems across our industrial campus. You will drive compliance, maintenance, and improvements in coordination with EHS.

You will review designs, manage installations and upgrades from small tenant improvements to multi‑million‑dollar projects, and provide hands‑on support during emergencies while partnering with AHJ and contractors.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
• NICET Level III or IV certification in Fire Alarm Systems.
• 7+ years of experience in fire alarm or fire suppression system design, installation, programming, or maintenance.
• 3+ years of experience in project or program management of fire protection or facilities construction projects.

Responsibilities

• Manage the maintenance, reliability, and upgrade program for existing industrial fire alarm systems across the site.
• Provide project management for new installations of fire suppression and sprinkler systems, including budgeting, scheduling, bid packages, and contractor selection.
• Serve as the site's technical authority for fire alarm design and programming; review designs, submittals, and shop drawings; perform in-house design and programming for small changes.
• Direct troubleshooting and repair of fire alarm and suppression systems through service contractors; own scope, quality, response time, and cost accountability.
• Identify existing and emerging fire hazards and drive controls to mitigate them; partner with EHS on emergency response readiness and impairment management.
• Ensure compliance with building and fire codes; maintain documentation, as-builts, and ITM records.
• Engage AHJ, fire marshal, and insurers; manage permitting, plan review, and inspections for fire protection projects.
• Develop and manage budgets for fire protection systems; forecast end-of-life replacements and upgrades.
• Support AM&M and performance-based design proposals to AHJ.
• Develop training for facilities technicians, security, and emergency response teams.

Skills

Fire protection

Project management

NFPA knowledge

Vendor management

Education

NICET Level III/IV certification in Fire Alarm Systems

Bachelor's degree in fire protection engineering or related field

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit

CMMS

Plan review software

Job description

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 ofenabling human life on Mars.

SR. FIRE & LIFE SAFETY PROGRAM SPECIALIST

Reporting to Facilities/Maintenance, the Sr. Fire & Life Safety Program Specialist owns the full lifecycle of fire detection and suppression systems for our industrial and aerospace manufacturing campus - from the maintenance and reliability program for existing fire alarm infrastructure to the design, permitting, and installation of new fire suppression and sprinkler systems. This is primarily a program and project management role: you will be the site's single point of accountability for fire protection strategy, contractor and vendor performance, code compliance, and AHJ engagement.

Your deep technical background in fire alarm design and programming enables you to review vendor work critically, direct troubleshooting, and step in hands-on during emergencies and critical impairments. You will partner closely with EHS to identify and mitigate emerging fire hazards ranging from lithium-ion battery storage to aerospace vehicle integration.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage the maintenance, reliability, and upgrade program for existing industrial fire alarm systems across the site, including inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) per NFPA 72 and NFPA 25
• Provide project management for new installations of fire suppression and sprinkler systems, ranging from small-scope tenant improvements to multi-million-dollar capital projects, including scope development, budgeting, scheduling, bid packages, and contractor selection
• Serve as the site's technical authority for fire alarm design and programming: review and approve fire alarm, suppression, and sprinkler designs, submittals, and shop drawings from vendors and engineering firms; perform in-house design and panel programming for small-scope modifications where faster or more cost-effective than contracting out
• Direct troubleshooting and repair of fire alarm and suppression systems through service contractors, owning scope, quality, response time, and cost accountability; provide hands‑on diagnosis and repair during emergencies, critical impairments, or when contractor response is inadequate
• Identify existing and emerging fire hazards - including lithium-ion battery storage and charging, energetic materials, flammable liquids, and aerospace vehicle integration operations - and drive engineering and administrative controls to mitigate them
• Partner with EHS to drive emergency response readiness, impairment management (fire watch), pre‑incident planning, and post‑incident investigation support
• Ensure compliance with applicable building and fire codes (IBC, IFC, NFPA standards) and company standards; maintain system documentation, as‑builts, and ITM records
• Engage and maintain relationships with the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), fire marshal, and insurance carriers; manage permitting, plan review, acceptance testing, and inspections for fire protection projects
• Develop and manage annual operating and capital budgets for fire protection systems; forecast end‑of‑life replacements and reliability upgrades
• Support Alternate Means & Methods (AM&M) and performance‑based design proposals to the AHJ where prescriptive code compliance is impractical
• Develop training for facilities technicians, security, and emergency response teams on fire system operation and impairment procedures

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma or equivalency certificate
• NICET Level III or IV certification in Fire Alarm Systems
• 7+ years of experience in fire alarm and/or fire suppression system design, installation, programming, or maintenance
• 3+ years of experience in project or program management of fire protection or facilities construction projects

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• NICET Level IV in Fire Alarm Systems; additional NICET certification in Water‑Based Systems Layout or Inspection & Testing of Water‑Based Systems
• Bachelor's degree in fire protection engineering, engineering technology, construction management, or a related field
• Factory certification and programming experience on major fire alarm platforms (e.g., Notifier, Simplex, EST/Edwards, Siemens, Fire‑Lite)
• Working knowledge of NFPA 13, 25, 72, 855, and 30, and the International Building and Fire Codes
• Experience with special hazards suppression (clean agent, water mist, deluge, foam) and hazardous material occupancies
• Experience managing fire protection in industrial, manufacturing, aerospace, or high‑hazard environments
• Experience with lithium‑ion battery energy storage system (ESS) fire protection and code requirements (NFPA 855, UL 9540A)
• Direct experience with AHJ negotiation, permitting, plan review, and acceptance testing
• Experience managing contractors and vendors, including bid evaluation, contract administration, and performance management
• PMP certification or equivalent project management training
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, and CMMS platforms

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to respond to after‑hours system troubles, impairments, and emergencies; participate in on‑call rotation as needed
• Position may require extended hours and weekends to support outages, acceptance testing, and critical project milestones
• Ability to climb ladders, work at heights, work in industrial environments, and lift up to 25 lbs. unassisted
• This is a fully on‑site position at a single campus; occasional travel for training or vendor factory acceptance testing (less than 5%)

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 Affiant should reach out [e-mail].