SpaceX Verified

Aerospace, Space Exploration, Telecommunications, Manufacturing

Certified Welding Inspector, NDE (Launch)

Cape Canaveral, Florida, United StatesHybridFull TimePosted 2 months agoVisa sponsorship available

Is this role right for you?

Upload your resume and get a skill-by-skill breakdown — see exactly where you match, where you're close, and what to highlight. Not a mystery percentage.

Get a tailored resume highlighting what this role needs.

Role summary

SpaceX's NDE Operations team seeks a Certified Welding Inspector, NDE (Launch) to perform high-quality inspections of flight components and production assemblies across all SpaceX programs. This role involves interpreting codes and specifications, monitoring welding processes, verifying welder qualifications, and ensuring product conformity to drawings. The inspector will also recommend and approve repairs, oversee NDT examinations, and assist in training teammates. The position requires a High School diploma or equivalency and NDE Level II certification in specific methods. Preferred qualifications include AWS CWI certification with 2+ years of experience and knowledge of industry standards like ABS, AWS, and ASME.

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.

CERTIFIED WELDING INSPECTOR, NDE (LAUNCH)

The NDE Operations organization at SpaceX is an interdisciplinary team that is committed to providing high-quality inspections of flight components and production assemblies. The breadth of exposure as an NDE Level II Inspector is immense, as the organization is responsible for a large diversity of inspection types across Falcon, Dragon, Starship, and Raptor programs. You will have the ability to engage with the process to provide continuous improvement to execute on the mission to make humanity interplanetary.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Perform internal and external inspections to determine if a weldment/structure meets the acceptance criteria of a specific code, standard, or document

Interpret codes and specifications in accordance with the drawing requirements

Use a computer to compile and submit data of acceptance or rejection of inspections, as well as for inter-office communications

Recommend and approve repairs as well as perform visual inspection of work in progress and completed work

Monitor welding processes such as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux cored arc welding (FCAW), shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), and plasma arc welding (PAW) to ensure they are performed in accordance with qualified procedures

Verify and document welder qualifications

Verify the compliance of base metals with the applicable specifications

Appraise welding joint designs and joint preparations for compliance with drawing

Verify proper fit, cleanliness, and environmental conditions

Verify tack weld quality

Verify preheat and interpass temperatures

Assure the proper control and handling of welding consumables

Verify the interpass and final cleaning

Assure product conformity to drawings and specifications

Verify cleanliness and weld surface quality

Oversee NDT examinations, proof, and mechanical testing if required

Oversee repair activities

Verify the proper performance of post-weld heat treatments

Confirm adequate documentation of fabrication and inspection activities

Assist in training and developing of other teammates

Support the development of NDE inspection techniques for complex geometries

Interpret and review engineering drawings as required

Interpret, evaluate, communicate, and report findings to production and engineering teams

Conduct vendor surveillance audits of welding and inspection work as needed

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

High school diploma or equivalency certificate

Nondestructive Evaluation Level II certification in line with ASNT TC-1A, NAS-410, or DOD guidance in one of the following methods: Radiography (RT), digital radiography (DR), dye penetrant (PT), visual inspection (VT), computed radiography (CR), phase array (PAUT), ultrasonic (UT), ultrasonic shear wave (UTSW), or magnetic particle (MT)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Current American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) certification

2+ years of experience as a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI)

Extensive knowledge of industry standards including ABS, AWS, and ASME

Working knowledge of surface and subsurface NDE methodologies

Nondestructive Evaluation Level II certification in line with ASNT TC-1A, NAS-410, or DOD guidance in Eddy current (ET)

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Must be able to lift 25lbs unassisted, bend, stretch, stand for extended periods of time, climb stairs, reach, twist, sit, and walk

Must be willing to work overtime and/or on weekends to meet critical deadlines if needed

Ability to pass Space Force background check for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg

Ability to travel to other SpaceX locations as needed (up to 50%)

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 EEOCompliance@spacex.com.

Sample SpaceX interview questions

1
Build a distributed platform for storing and serving digital assets.
system designmedium
2
Develop a web app that shortens URLs like TinyURL.
system designmedium
3
Propose a high-level design for a tracing system that can handle millions of spans per second across thousands of services.
system designmedium
4
Iterator over a Binary Search Tree Implement an iterator over a binary search tree. Input: root = [7,3,15,null,null,9,20], calls: next(), hasNext(), next() Output: 3, TRUE, 7 Explanation: The iterator yields the smallest value (3), confirms more nodes exist, then properly yields the next in-order value (7).
codingmedium
5
Count Anagrammatic Substrings Count the number of anagrammatic substrings from one string present in another. Input: s = "abab", p = "ab" Output: [0, 1, 2] Explanation: The substrings "ab", "ba", and "ab" starting at indices 0, 1, and 2 respectively are all anagrams of the string "ab".
codingmedium

Ready to apply?

You'll be redirected to SpaceX's application page.