December 2026 New Graduate Engineer, Mechanical (Starship)

Posted 3 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
Star, TX, USA
In-Office
Junior
Aerospace • Other
The Role
Design, analyze, and build Starship and Super Heavy hardware. Convert system requirements into hardware concepts, perform hand calculations and FEA, iterate manufacturing and test processes, collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, participate in design reviews, and support production and supplier integration.
Summary Generated by Built In

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.

DECEMBER 2026 NEW GRADUATE ENGINEER, MECHANICAL (STARSHIP) 

Our Starbase team is working on the toughest and most audacious project on our planet: making humanity multiplanetary. Our team is building high performance flight hardware, a high-volume rocket production line, and a launch system that can rapidly and reliably launch and land our rockets. Our mechanical engineers are responsible for designing, analyzing, and building all of the hardware across the Starship and Super Heavy vehicles. Expect a dynamic role doing what you’re best at. Whatever your skill set, you’ll be aligned to the part of the program you’re most effectively able to contribute to (design, analysis, test, structures, fluids, manufacturing, tooling, machine design, etc.). If you are a high performing engineer, want to immerse yourself in never-before-solved challenges, and are excited to put in the effort to make this goal a reality, we want to hear from you.

RESPONSIBILITIES:  

  • Own the design and development of next generation launch vehicles, launch pad and production lines
  • Transform system requirements into hardware concepts and trade implementation and architecture options
  • Perform hand calculations and FEA to develop, assess, and optimize designs
  • Rapidly iterate on manufacturing processes and development testing in a fast-paced environment 
  • Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to ensure hardware integrates with all Starship systems and supports necessary mission operations
  • Participate in design reviews internally and with suppliers and customers
  • Partner with engineering and production teams to generate ideas, designs, and improvements for current and next-generation vehicles 
  • Own large business outcomes

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

  • Graduating with a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD in 2026 or 2027 
  • Degree in an engineering discipline or physics
  • 1+ years of mechanical or fluids design, analysis, or build experience via project team, research, internships, and/or professional experience

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

  • Strong ability to use data and analysis to make fast data-driven decisions
  • Ability to perform trade studies and make clear recommendations using first principles and engineering fundamentals even with partial information. Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals
  • Experience working at a nimble engineering organization or in a highly technical position that required a scrappy, entrepreneurial manner to accomplish tasks with tight time or budget constraints
  • Excelled in ultra-competitive environments. You’ve nailed a podium finish in engineering, math, or science competitions, achieved scores in the top percentile of scholastic or standardized tests, or demonstrated other incredible feats of intellectual achievement
  • Experience building hardware or have a passion for contributing to a work product that operates in the real world
  • Succeeded in multiple endeavors at once; maybe you worked through college, were a student athlete, or demonstrated strong work or academic performance in multiple fields 
  • Demonstrated rapid growth, you’ve held successive positions of increasing responsibility within an organization, were able to get yourself up to speed at a heroic pace, and accomplished something meaningfully difficult early in your career
  • Demonstrated resilience and the ability to overcome failure or extreme odds. Many critics would say that our goals are impossible but this isn’t the first time we’ve proven that highly improbable goals like reusable rockets can become possible

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

  • Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary
  • Ability and willingness to relocate to Starbase, TX (Brownsville, TX area)
  • Stand: Up to 3 hours per day
  • Sit: Up to 6 hours per day
  • Push/Pull: Up to 50lbs. (unassisted) Up to 15 minutes per day
  • Overhead reach: Up to 3 hours per day
  • Walk: Up to 3 hours per day
  • Lift/Carry: Up to 25lbs. (unassisted) Up to 15 minutes per day
  • Climb (ladder/stairs): Up to 1 hour per day
  • Kneel/Crouch: N/A
  • Upper body twist: N/A
  • Ability to work in temperatures over 80 degrees: up to 30 minutes per day
  • Candidate must be capable of safely working at heights (up to 500ft), in confined spaces, using an air purifying respirator, and performing the physical requirements of the job listed in the job description
  • Candidate may be required to complete a pre-employment questionnaire and/or physical to confirm these capabilities, which may include a medical history review

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 [email protected]

Skills Required

  • Graduating with a bachelor's, master's, or PhD in 2026 or 2027
  • Degree in an engineering discipline or physics
  • 1+ years of mechanical or fluids design, analysis, or build experience via project team, research, internships, and/or professional experience
  • Ability to perform hand calculations and finite element analysis (FEA)
  • Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary
  • Ability and willingness to relocate to Starbase, TX (Brownsville, TX area)
  • Physical capabilities: standing, sitting, lifting/pulling up to listed limits, climb ladders/stairs, work at heights and in confined spaces, use an air purifying respirator
  • May be required to complete a pre-employment questionnaire and/or physical including medical history review
  • ITAR requirement: must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, Refugee, Asylee, or be eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State
  • Strong ability to use data and analysis to make fast data-driven decisions
  • Ability to perform trade studies and make recommendations using first principles and engineering fundamentals
  • Experience working in a nimble engineering organization or scrappy, entrepreneurial environment
  • Experience building hardware or passion for contributing to real-world hardware products
  • Demonstrated rapid growth, increasing responsibility, and resilience overcoming failure

SpaceX Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about SpaceX and has not been reviewed or approved by SpaceX.

  • Equity Value & Accessibility Equity grants are a core part of total compensation, with periodic company-run tender offers that create liquidity before any public listing. These mechanisms can make the equity component feel materially valuable in practice.
  • Healthcare Strength The package includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with on-site clinics and health resources at major sites. This breadth of coverage is presented as a strong element of the offering.
  • Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits Major locations feature on-site amenities such as fitness facilities, food/coffee, clinics, and other conveniences. These lifestyle perks enhance day-to-day value alongside cash and equity.

SpaceX Insights

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The Company
HQ: Hawthorne, CA
8,879 Employees
Year Founded: 2002

What We Do

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary. SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.

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