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.
DYNAMICS ENGINEER (FALCON & DRAGON)
The Falcon and Dragon Dynamics team is responsible for all dynamic and vibration analyses on SpaceX’s operational vehicles. The Dynamics group owns all low and high-frequency loads, forcing function development, and vehicle response predictions, and ensures hardware is qualified for flight. The group is focused on supporting all variants of the fast-paced Falcon launch vehicle and America’s human spaceflight program, Dragon. The group has a wide range of responsibilities that include structural dynamics, flight data review and processing, model and analysis correlation, fairing and launch pad acoustics, engine dynamics, and software programming for tool development. Dynamics engineers are expected to have a strong intuition of dynamic systems and a broad range of engineering disciplines, in addition to having solid software and analytical skills.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Resolve dynamics problems through hand calculations, analysis, tests, and the use of extensive flight data
- Use flight data to monitor the health of our Falcon vehicle fleet, including engine performance
- Execute dynamic testing from start-to-finish (pre-test planning, sensor selection & installation, testing, data and signal processing, and model correlation)
- Own system level analyses and drive hardware modifications or vehicle operations across vehicle engineering teams
- Perform component and vehicle-level analyses using commercial and in-house codes as well as write new code
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
- 1+ years of experience with structural dynamic analyses or system dynamics modeling (can be in a professional, academic, entrepreneurial, or hobby setting)
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Hands-on experience either analyzing data or building hardware
- Experience with vibration and shock testing
- Experience with NASTRAN (knowledge of DMAP programming a plus)
- Analytical/scientific programming experience, including data processing (Python and MATLAB preferred)
- Finite element modeling experience with at least one commercial FEA package (FEMAP experience a plus)
- Working knowledge of structural analysis and test, including a fundamental understanding of strength, stability and fatigue failure mechanisms
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Able to work extended hours and/or weekends to support critical milestones
Pay Range:
Level 1: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00
Level 2: $115,000.00 - $160,000.00
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
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
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
- At least 1 year of experience with structural dynamic analyses or system dynamics modeling
- Ability to work extended hours and/or weekends to support critical milestones
- Hands-on experience analyzing data or building hardware
- Experience with vibration and shock testing
- Experience with NASTRAN; DMAP programming is a plus
- Analytical or scientific programming experience, including data processing, preferably Python and MATLAB
- Finite element modeling experience with a commercial FEA package; FEMAP is a plus
- Working knowledge of structural analysis and testing, including strength, stability, and fatigue failure mechanisms
- Must meet applicable ITAR requirements or be eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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.
