The Spaceships Operations Engineer for our fleet vehicles will work closely with all departments at Virgin Galactic, but primarily in Engineering and Operations. The primary focus for this role is to ensure our spaceships are ready for commercial service from the perspective of spares, parts obsolescence planning, defect tracking, vehicles configuration compliance, ground support equipment, and tie-in to future spaceships in terms of lessons-learned and part commonality. Qualified candidates should have a strong technical background in aircraft design, maintenance, configuration management, material review board, and change management.

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  Ensure proper engineering processes are in place
• Ensure appropriate spares are identified and available in advance of flight testing and revenue operations
• Develop and coordinate sparing strategy
• Ensure the appropriate Technical Publications are prioritized
• Ensure the Operations discrepancy and disposition process is established
• Ensure the RO (Return Order) Process efficiently supports spaceships in service
• Ensure an appropriate defect-tracking tool is established
• Support the Program Director for Sustainment to ensure an appropriate parts obsolescence process is established that proactively identifies obsolescence concerns and addresses them early to support vehicle operations
• Coordinate with Engineering and Quality to ensure appropriate part serialization requirements are established such that all configurable parts on spaceships have serialized traceability.
• Work with Supply Chain to ensure the product support agreements Virgin Galactic has with its suppliers contractually drive compliance related to service bulletins.
• Develop an operational Minimum Equipment List (MEL) for all spaceships.
• Work with Quality to develop a part tagging and tracking system that supports Virgin Galactic’s operations across various locations
• Support Engineering with investigations and Material Review Board (MRB) dispositions when required
• Support the QMS (Quality Management System) implementation by helping develop Operations Engineering processes
• Support the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) team with engineering guidance as required

Required Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace and/or Mechanical Engineering, with 6+ years relevant industry experience; other STEM disciplines may also be considered
• Working knowledge of aircraft and space systems
• MRB (Material Review Board) experience

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The annual U.S. base salary range for this full-time position is $96,800.00–$147,650.00. The base pay actually offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, location, and experience and take into account internal equity. Other forms of pay (e.g., bonus or long term incentive) may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits, dependent on the position offered. For more information regarding Virgin Galactic benefits, please visit https://vgcareers.virgingalactic.com/global/en/benefits

Who We Are

Virgin Galactic is transforming humanity’s relationship with space. By making it more open and accessible, we are connecting the world to the love, wonder and awe inspired by space travel, helping to create new opportunities for the benefit of life on Earth. Whether it’s supporting cutting-edge research missions for scientists and students, or offering life-changing experiences for the adventurers among us, Virgin Galactic is THE spaceline for Earth. Such an audacious vision requires a team as driven as they are curious - one capable of redefining the boundaries of what’s possible.

ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15) or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

EEO Statement
Virgin Galactic is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Virgin Galactic 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, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

DRUG FREE WORKPLACE
Virgin Galactic is committed to a Drug Free Workplace. All applicants post offer and active teammates are subject to testing for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, PCP, and alcohol when criteria is met as outlined in our policies. This can include pre-employment, random, reasonable suspicion, and accident related drug and alcohol testing.