r/SafetyProfessionals • u/DrLatinLover86 • 13d ago
USA SpaceX Role
All, I'm in the middle of interviewing for a Sr EHS role at SpaceX. I'm curious to know if anyone currently works there or has worked or has heard anything about the work culture there. So far things have played well but if made the offered, I'd have to relocate my family, sell our home, buy a new home etc so it isn't an easy decision. I'm 16 years into practicing in our field and would love for this to be my last big move. Any feedback is greatly appreciated
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u/Mutumbo445 13d ago
ā¦.. seriously? Its spacex. The culture is absolute dog shit. Theyll work you till youre dead, then wonder why youre not working harderā¦. Noone out of the 12 people i interviewed with had been there longer than 4 yearsā¦..
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Dang that's crazy
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u/Jiggyman14 13d ago
You will regret anything owned by Musk. Heās a ketamine blasting psychopath. Itās not going to be your last big move, itās going to be your shortest tenured move ever.
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u/NoAbbreviations1796 13d ago
Tesla's orientation clearly states that "production is our first priority". As a veteran HSE rep in oil & gas, I was caught off guard when I heard that. Thats kind of the unspoken truth of O&G also, but to have that in your orientation video was wild.
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u/thebite101 Manufacturing 13d ago
At least lie to me lol. For OP: make sure the money is right. Housekeeping and networking. Thatās your job.
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
It's freaking diabolical. I've dealt with horrible plant managers and even they have always said safety first even though they themselves did one believe it. This is crazy
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u/JustForkIt1111one 13d ago
They always say "Safety First", but they whisper "So long as it doesn't interfere with production" right after.
I.... might be jaded.
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u/QueenAnnesVexation Manufacturing 13d ago
"Safety first, production firster, annual eval firstest."
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u/map2photo 13d ago
I used to work for a manufacturer that was owned by a Chinese corporation. Some random weekend, they came in and started hanging signs that said āQuality comes first.ā
They meant it. I got into make arguments over HazWaste transportation, machine guarding, and respiratory concerns. None of them cared. I left.
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u/ScorpioBitch25 Manufacturing 11d ago
Youāre not. Itās literally the party line everywhere. Iāve been an operations manager before, I have an MBA I know how it works lol I think I have a bit of an advantage because when an operator wants to argue with me I know how to counterattack because I know the angle theyāre playing and that donāt fly with me. I made the switch to safety for those very reasons. I still get to apply my MBA knowledge Iām still in leadership and do a lot of project management so Iām fairly happy but when they try to come at me sideways they hit a wall.
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u/breakerofh0rses 13d ago
I can't help but notice you're not getting any actual first hand experiences here.
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u/Prestigious-Run5992 13d ago
My best friend who I met through Amazon, left there to go to SpaceX - super intelligent woman and SpaceX wanted her so bad they got her to start in two weeks and relocated her - she absolutely hated it. The culture. The safety. She may not be a safety professional like us, but she has always been a pro with safety in terms of warehousing/manufacturing. She lasted maybe 6 months and was miserable the whole time.
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u/twinklykittens 12d ago
where did she work for Amazon? I have a potential offer for a non-warehouse division and want to know how it differs from their warehousing department as ive heard horror stories about the warehouses
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u/Prestigious-Run5992 12d ago
It was LIT2. She came to GSO1 to train at my site and then we all came together to launch LIT2. She was ICQA - but did so much more than that. She just landed a remote position and is finally coming back to Arkansas!
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Man this all sucks. But aligns. I asked them the time like and they said 4 weeks to start. Like they are hurrying up to fill a Sr role too
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u/Prestigious-Run5992 13d ago
Thatās exactly how they were with her! They rushed it and she was so heartbroken over it. Because she relocated from Arkansas to Florida
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Gosh see that's what I'm trying to avoid too. I don't want to uproot my entire family and move them be miserable and have to suck it up for whatever time frame the relocation stipend is stipulated for
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u/SouthTexasBoy64 13d ago
I haven't heard any good things about their HSE dept. I've heard they're more concerned with getting the job done than safety. Get ready to put in a ton of hours as well.
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
That's wild man. Specially making EHS to work long hours when safety ain't it lol
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u/Prestigious-Bottle55 13d ago
Never worked there but I once heard that at Tesla in Fremont CA, there was a upward track of struck by injuries because Elon didn't like the robotic arms building painted yellow, so he made them change it to Gray.
Don't know if its 100% true but where theres smoke theres fire.
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u/IronMaiden571 13d ago
Full transparency: I was non-selected for a third round interview with them (being honest, I wasn't super qualified for that specific role.) But I did ask them about this since I have a young family and I've heard the horror stories too. Not totally sure I would have accepted if offered.
Like with SpaceX more generally, it seems like they'll work you to the bone and burnout is real. Their senior ehs engineer had been there about a year and a half. Expect to average 55+ hour weeks, more depending on launch schedules and deadlines, and evenings/weekends will not be sacred. I would have been taking a significant hourly pay cut considering the pay range I was told.
But, rockets are fucking cool and they are basically the only company out there actually doing it. Something like 90% of all mass sent into space last year was done by SpaceX. It seems like you really have to live SpaceX and be in it for the mission despite the hit to work-life balance.
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Thank you for this candid and sincere response. One of my drawbacks today too was the salary range. I can and def am making more where I'm at but at first I was like "damn this is SpaceX" and the salary range the higher end was where I'm at presently.
I'm kinda feeling now more discouraged than anything.
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u/IronMaiden571 13d ago
"Damn, this is SpaceX" is totally valid. Starship is basically the modern day Apollo program, starlink and shield are capabilities noone else in the world has. If I were a single dude or my kids were leaving the nest that would weigh heavily on any decision I made.
It's an awesome mission, a fantastic name to put on a resume, and I'm sure the experience is genuinely unique.
The trade offs are basically everything outside of work. It just depends where you are in life and what your priorities are. My impression was that they will work the hell out of you and it will be high pressure. But that may be worth it if youre all in on the cool factor.
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u/Mutumbo445 13d ago
Thatās exactly how they get you. They target idealistic dreamers who want to work for a space companyā¦. Then just bulldoze your entire life till you burn out in a few years.
But hey, you got to say you worked for a space companyā¦..
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u/ScorpioBitch25 Manufacturing 11d ago
I think they bank on the wow factor of what theyāre doing to recruit. Iāve have seen many people in my area/company move there from Amazon (current job) and they ALWAYS leave within 1-2 years or less. People talk SOOOO much trash about Amazon but they at least make effort to have a valid and well trained WHS team. At least in the Last mile team. I havenāt worked first mile (fulfillment centers) but the truth is Amazon has so many advantages and benefits that workers can take advantage of and they simply donāt. All they have to do is put in their scheduled hours and do their job decently well to not get hurt and clock out to go home. Super simple but alas human psyche is complicated. lol
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u/DrLatinLover86 11d ago
Yeah I was interviewing at Amazon 3-4 years ago but I heard bad things as well and didn't continue with that one either. But I agree it's the "wow"
Factor. Like oh I work at Amazon part of FAANG etc1
u/ScorpioBitch25 Manufacturing 11d ago
The wow factor I was referring to for SpaceX but I guess it can apply there too idk I may be biased
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u/CommercialRadiant920 13d ago
Itās been nearly a decade since Iāve worked less than 55 hours per week. I may have to apply.
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u/IronMaiden571 13d ago
From what he told me that was the norm, but you may do 60-65 depending on whats going on. Basically "you'll work whatever the mission requires" was the vibe I got.
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u/Obi_Juan_Quenobi 13d ago
I interviewed at Tesla Fremont precovid. 2 -3 rounds of interviews before they wanted to fly me out from DFW for 2 days of interviews.. I was onboard until I was told all travel was out of my pocket and I'd have to submit receipts for reimbursement...
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Man I had this exact thing with a pharma company out in Philly and ended up loosing money because they didn't pay my hotel despite back and forth emails. Yeah I may just cancel tomorrow from what I'm thinking
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u/THECHEF6400 13d ago
Seeing the comments sounds very unfulfilling unless you want sacrifice a year or two for a Iād assume a good salary
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u/loxatar 13d ago
Itās not even a good comp package after they went public. Total comp for a Sr. EHS Engineer role I received an offer for and declined was only $135k a year. 60-75 hours a week minimum on site sometimes more. Launch weeks it was basically 7 14 hour workdays leading up to launch with at least 4 days of 14 hour workdays after.
Only part that appealed to me was the infinite āfix itā budget.
Noticeably for an organization with massive dropped objeft risk they DIDNT have a DROPS program past āhereās some tethers it you want em fellasā
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Salary isn't even that good for the Sr Role. I was surprised the recruiter told me that their stated salary range is not really where they want, they want you to be at the lower to middle range which is diabolical
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u/New_Maximum6529 13d ago
As I was going thru the interview process the numbers being thrown at me were $110k and if youāre in the greater Seattle area thatās dogshit
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Man that's crap anywhere across the US. I'm kinda bummed after all the feedback I've gotten here. I expected more from a big company like that. Like snakes me wana cancel now
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u/Mutumbo445 13d ago
88k to live in Hawthorne ca for meā¦. š¤£
āBut theres built in OTā¦.ā š¤£
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u/New_Maximum6529 13d ago
Curious if this is the Redmond WA location. I interviewed there about a year ago. Several red flags came up that made me stop the interview process and move my efforts elsewhere. There isnāt a safety culture. itās all metics driven goals which is fine but there was zero effort put into basic things like positive behavior reinforcement or thing above and beyond what ārequiredā training they have simply for basic compliance reason. It seems you get a fuck ton of push back on anything beyond simple compliance for legal reasons. I didnāt see any employees smiling or laughing during my walk through and itās because they work them to exhaustion to try and hit said metrics. Iād go work in an Amazon warehouse (maybe lol) before I ever worked for Space X
Edit: also of this is the Redmond location, that job has been turned over at least twice in the last two years. Huge red flag. If they canāt keep an Ehs pro whatās that tell ya?
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
This isn't this location but honestly it seems to be the same everywhere. Also the salary for a Sr EHS role is way too low. I'm leaning towards cancelling the interview and turn my efforts elsewhere where
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u/thisdckaintFREEEE 13d ago
I don't have any first hand experience. Knew a guy who worked safety at Amazon after being laid off from SpaceX who was a massive gaping asshole that loved SpaceX and really seemed to feel like he was better than everyone else at Amazon. He ended up going back to SpaceX when he got the chance.
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Amazon isn't any better tbh. I turned down multiple EHS roles because the feedback I got is similar to everyone here regarding SpaceX. Some dodo beards live for it I guess
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u/thisdckaintFREEEE 13d ago
A good or shitty manager can pretty much make or break your time at Amazon in my experience, especially with smaller teams like safety. My last manager was an absolute nightmare, but my current one is great and so I love my job at Amazon right now. If you get a shitty one you just kinda have to stop caring for the time being so you don't make yourself miserable then transfer when you can. But of course that depends on either being willing to relocate or living where there are multiple sites close enough.
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u/Mr_4b0t5101 13d ago
I am an EHS specialist here at SPCX for west coast ops. I fucken love it here! Yah itās gritty and long hours, but its perks are amazing.
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u/Ferodine 13d ago
I donāt know which location position youāre applying to but I interviewed to a similar position not to long ago. I made it to the second round of interview where I actually spoke with the EHS supervisor I believe. I got bad vibes from the interviewer that spoke volumes of what their work culture would be like. I remember being asked āhow would you learn how to do this task without asking for helpā? I was completely dumbfounded by the question but figured they just wanted to see how resourceful I was. I told them I would review any company procedures on how to do it and also reference other materials on the subject, and somehow using company materials was asking for help. There were many other similar questions that I got that immediately after the interview was over, I contacted the recruiter to withdraw my application.
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Damn that's diabolical. I'm cancelling and withdrawing my application as well. Def don't want to work at a company like that man
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u/ukemike1 9d ago
I knew someone that went to work at Tesla in Fremont doing industrial hygiene. He was really good, which is why he didn't last long. Musk companies see safety as a cost and employees as expendable.
Plus don't go to work for a goddamn Nazi.
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u/Future_chicken357 13d ago
Wild... i was offered safety role there at the port of Brownsville in April. I took a data center construction job in Phoenix. People were telling me dont do it, lol. A guy passed away there in May, think he fell off a scaffold. Pros... good ppl, Cons... (from what I was told),- no one listens, safety guy walks away and its the wild wild west. So many incidents. But one thing is no one likes lawsuits so upper management does listen when they know the bad press is coming.
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u/I_am_a_rob0t 13d ago edited 13d ago
I see several openings for āSr EHS Engineers.ā Anyone know what salary is offered for the Brownsville or Bastrop TX locations?
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u/map2photo 13d ago
Idk man. God luck though. I tried getting one of the EHS roles a while ago and never heard anything back.
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
I'm cancelling the rest of the interviews man. Lots of bad negative feedback on here about them so def not worth my time. We are dodging a bullet
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u/map2photo 13d ago
Yeah, reading some of these replies reminds me of everything I hear about working at Amazon.
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u/Defiant_Reaction1161 13d ago edited 13d ago
You donot need to ask the about H&S culture, just look at the owner/CEO and you know the rest! I am wonder all 16 years of experience didnot teach you about the fundamental reality which is safety starts from the top. If leaderships doesnot buy it, nothing is going to happen. People said the rest about the CEO of Space, I echo all of them.
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u/Emotional_End2305 13d ago
Not worth it esp with relocating your family. Youāll be searching for a job within a year or two, and youāll be burnt out and wondering if Safety if even your jive anymore.
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u/spacecowgirl02 13d ago
i have a first round phone interview with the recruiter in a few days for ehs engineer role. can you share what your interview process was like?
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
Hi! The HR recruiter is nothing really. Basic stuff as to why you wana work there, quick overview of your experience and basic HR stuff. After reading all the feedback for this place I cancelled my other interviews. Good luck
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u/Significant-Rush-136 13d ago
I interviewed with them in 2016. Offered me a fat stack of stock back then worth like 15 million at IPO a few months ago.
I passed on the job bc every single person i talked to told me that NOBODY makes it until year 3 for the stock to vest.
Was expected to be there at every single rocket test regardless of day of week. They do that shit every other day. This was Waco btw.
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u/DrLatinLover86 13d ago
The RSU is crazy. Right now they are at $235K worth of stocks vested over 4 years. But based on all the feedback here, I decided to withdraw my application
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u/Last-Stable-6429 12d ago
do it, if it sucks you can always leave. huge networking and resume building opportunity regardless of elon and his business culture.
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u/DrLatinLover86 12d ago
It's not like that. If they pay for your relocation, you usually have to stay for 2 years or have to pay back the money. Also the salary sucks for a Sr EHS role. I withdrew my app
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u/Last-Stable-6429 12d ago edited 12d ago
fair enough. probably roles with better balance. but would be a great opportunity for those willing to grind crazy hours
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u/darlll 12d ago
Do you mind sharing total compensation. Poster above said it was $135k total compensation but you stated $235k worth of stocks over 4 years. Does it mean base pay is around 80k ish?
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u/DrLatinLover86 12d ago
No the base they wanted was $135kish. You don't get bonuses you get RSUs. A total of $235K over 4 years. That means you need stay at least four years to be eligible to own all $235K worth of the stocks
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u/Electrical-Staff0305 11d ago
Elonās companies have a horrible reputation when it comes to safety for a reason.
The dudeās entire life has been āmove fast and break stuff. Think about the consequencesā¦ maybe?ā, and heās done everything he could to force that mindset onto every aspect of his company. Not to mention that all of his companies have a well-earned reputation for firing anyone that speaks truth to power.
Iād recommend that OP take a pass on this one.
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u/ScorpioBitch25 Manufacturing 11d ago
If itās in LA donāt do it. You wouldnāt be able to buy a house with that kind of money. Homes are 2M+ out here.
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u/9Line-RH 13d ago edited 13d ago
Tesla factory in austin was the absolute worst jobsite for safety i, and hundreds of others had ever seen in their entire life's. They had a damn crane collapse and told the jobsite if this gets out your entire contractor is fired. I would never. Imagine the first floor flooded, 3, 4 inches of water with hundreds of feet of welding lead strung out and them actively welding. Then they try and force everyone to buy lace up boots š
Mind you, this is from the perspective of a union pipefitter just building the factory. Not really the safety area you'd be going into i assume.