Senior Welding Engineer

Website Virgin Orbit

Senior Welding Engineer Job Highlights

Title Senior Welding Engineer
Type Full Time
Experience 5 Years
Function Engineering/IT
Location Long Beach, CA, United States
Company Virgin Orbit

Company Profile

Virgin Orbit provides dedicated, responsive, and affordable launch services for small satellites. To launch the small satellite revolution, Virgin Orbit is developing LauncherOne, a flexible launch service for commercial and government-built satellites.

Job Profile

The company requires a Senior Welding Engineer to join the LauncherOne rocket team and will hold two primary responsibilities i.e. performing manufacturing engineering tasks associated with welding processes, and providing technical supervision for the VO welding teams.

The role will work closely with Quality, Manufacturing, and Engineering to ensure designs are optimized for manufacturability and incorporate requirements of the VO Welding Program Manual.

Educational Qualification

Work Experience

  • The candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of hands on experience with welding processes for stainless steel, titanium, Inconel, and aluminum.
  • Candidate shall have experience in developing and qualifying welding procedures and performing welder qualifications in accordance with AWS D17.1, AWS D1.1 and ASME B31.3 and Section IX.
  • Experience managing a company’s welding program.
  • Experience generating weld procedure specifications (WPS) and procedure qualification records (PQR).
  • Candidate shall be familiar with most common NDE methods such as VT, PT, MT, UT, and RT and interpretation of results.
  • Candidate shall be familiar with most common arc welding processes (as a minimum GTAW, SMAW, GMAW, FCAW), brazing and soldering, and knowledgeable in orbital machine welding systems.
  • Experience applying NDT results of welded assemblies to RCCA in an effort to drive improved processes and quality.
  • Extensive experience with soldering, brazing, spot welding metallographic interpretation

Duties/Responsibilities

  • As a subject matter expert, this role will establish training programs and content and conduct the training for welding-related matters. Maintains all required documentation for welder qualifications.
  • Develop and approve standard weld repair procedures to expedite repair and rework processes.
  • Maintain high standards of safety, quality and output consistent with the requirements of being a Virgin Orbit team member
  • Provides technical leadership and oversight for the various welding teams: production, tooling/fab shop, and the Mojave test site.
  • Responsible for implementing proper tooling, process controls and procedures for the welding operations associated with flight hardware, ground support equipment, and test stands.
  • Review and advise on special processes associated with weldments including, pre and post-weld surface treatment processes, passivation, and heat treatment.
  • Review process planning for completeness and compliance concerning metal joining processes.
  • Specify and recommend welding equipment upgrades and new purchases.
  • Supervises and assures compliance to specifications of all welder and oversees welder operator qualifications.
  • This position will help develop, qualify, and optimize welding designs and processes primarily using GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, OTW and EBW welding methods but must be familiar with other and emerging methods that may be implemented.

Skills We Value (Preferred Skills)

  • Master of Science Degree in an Engineering discipline.
  • Ability to add something unique and positive to our team.
  • Ability to thrive as a ‘one-person team’.
  • AWS Welding Engineer Certification desired
  • Demonstrated experience transitioning products from prototype manufacturing through volume production including Design for Manufacturability.
  • Familiar with the use of PFMEAs to reduce risk to the manufacturing process.
  • Project management and/or technical leadership experience, integrating various functions to drive improvements.
  • Generally high level of all-around awesomeness.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities

  • Ability and desire to perform in a fast-paced, rapidly changing work environment.
  • Ability to add something unique and positive to our team.
  • Ability to recognize technique deficiencies and provide instruction for improvement.
  • Driven, highly motivated, and committed to improvement.
  • Generally high level of all-around awesomeness.
  • Must be able to work varying hours/shifts and available for overtime as well as weekends when needed.
  • Strong ability to communicate technical knowledge to teammates in a manner that is relevant for their role in VO’s welding program.

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.

Employer’s Statement

Virgin Orbit is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Virgin Orbit 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.

To apply for this job please visit careers-virginorbit.icims.com.

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