The role
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.
MANAGER, TECHNICAL TRAINING
A Technical Training Manager is driven by the belief that education and knowledge are power, but a SpaceX Technical Training Manager combines that belief with a strong sense of urgency, creativity, and resourcefulness—and is accountable for a team that delivers. You will lead Technical Trainers who train SpaceX personnel in safety, equipment use, and technical work. Your contributions in and outside the classroom will develop talent on your team and across the Memphis site.
The Technical Training Manager owns the design, delivery, integrity, and continuous improvement of operational training at Memphis. This role is both strategic and hands-on: you will build a high-performing training team, own the site’s Learning Management System (LMS) and training data, meet the training forecast, keep courses current with process and document changes, and deliver world-class, no-bureaucracy training that scales with construction, infrastructure standup, and production. Long hours, weekend work, and extreme ownership — issues owned from start to finish — are part of the job.
This position reports to the Director, Quality Management and Training.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Owns the end-to-end technical training program for Memphis: needs analysis, content creation, delivery, validation of effectiveness, and continuous improvement across safety, equipment, and technical training.
- Builds, recruits, develops, and leads a team of technical trainers who maintain deep product and process knowledge and deliver high-impact training that improves safety, reliability, quality, and efficiency.
- Owns the site training forecast. Translates headcount, new-hire, recertification, construction, and project-driven demand into trainer capacity, class seats, and a schedule that meets demand. Closes gaps before they become missed qualifications.
- Drives and manages training content and documentation so courses stay current with process changes, procedure revisions, and document updates, including training plans, engineering masters, personnel qualifications (skills and quals), live training sessions, and training work orders (TRNs).
- Acts as gatekeeper for employee training assignments in the learning management system (LMS). Assigns only what is necessary and maintains clean, actionable data.
- Ensures the accuracy, integrity, and audit-readiness of all site operational training records, qualifications, and learning management system data. Serves as primary point of contact for internal, customer, and regulatory training audits.
- Owns safety and high-risk training for the Memphis site, covering SpaceX personnel and, as required, contractors, vendors, and visitors. Maps high-hazard work to required competency (e.g. energy isolation/lockout-tagout (LOTO), electrical, confined space, excavation, work at height, crane and rigging, hot work, scaffolding, equipment operation) and enforces training gates: no verified competency, no high-risk task.
- Partners closely with production, engineering, quality, safety, facilities, construction, infrastructure, and subject matter experts to extract complex knowledge, identify additional training required to support their work, and stand that training up.
- Drives training metrics, capacity planning, resource allocation (including multi-site support), and reporting that enable data-driven decisions. Measures competency demonstration and training impact. Monitors human error, quality, and safety trends related to training and implements solutions that demonstrate a downward trend.
- Manages day-to-day operations of the centralized training function and facility, including scheduling, enrollments, attendance, materials, consumables, field classrooms, and future expansion and equipment needs.
- Stays present where the work happens. Walks the production floor and the construction site. Audits training at the point of work.
- Organizes and leads meetings with executives and site leadership covering training status, forecast vs. actual, risks, and issues. Arrives with facts, options, and an owner.
- Takes extreme ownership of issues from start to finish. When an incident, quality escape, or missed qualification traces back to training, owns the training root-cause analysis, corrective action, and verification.
- Identifies and closes capability gaps that impact manufacturing, construction, test, and integration performance, cost, quality, and safety.
- Creates, maintains, and continuously improves live training materials, course content (presentations, hands-on materials, and assessments), and online modules. Coordinates third-party vendors for specialized resources and instruction, and holds vendor performance to standard.
- Stands up the Memphis training program through new-building and infrastructure construction into operations, including orientation, task-specific, high-risk, and site-specific training from mobilization through production.
- Champions modern training methodologies and effective artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that maximize knowledge retention, safety, and efficiency while reducing administrative burden and bureaucracy.
- Performs special assignments as required (e.g., supporting process, equipment, or facility modifications in the field).
- Performs other duties as assigned.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, industrial engineering, safety, construction, or business, or 5+ years of professional experience in technical training, manufacturing, or construction.
- 2+ years of experience managing a team in fast-paced, results-driven setting.
- 5+ years of experience owning a training program, including needs analysis, content development, delivery, records, and measurement of training effectiveness.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Experience standing up training programs in a greenfield, new-building, or first-site environment.
- Experience onboarding new hires and converting short-term training into a sustained long-term program.
- Experience with learning management systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, live training, personnel qualifications, and training metrics.
- Experience enforcing training standards on live construction or manufacturing sites, including contractors and multi-employer workforces.
- Experience as a primary point of contact for customer or regulatory training audits.
- Experience with quality tools, including nonconformance control, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive action (CAPA), and process auditing.
- Experience reading engineering drawings.
- Fluency in Spanish (spoken and written).
- Experience developing training materials, student assessments, and online modules.
- Experience applying modern training methods or artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve knowledge retention and reduce administrative burden.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- This is an on-site role in Memphis, TN. Must be able to work in manufacturing and active construction environments, including walking the production floor and construction site, wearing required personal protective equipment (PPE), and being present where training is delivered.
- Must be able to travel to other SpaceX sites as required.
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed to support production, construction, and site priorities.
- Must be able to organize and lead meetings with executives and cross-functional leaders.
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.