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.
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MANAGER (ANDERSON, TX)
The External Affairs Manager based in Anderson, TX will lead external affairs for SpaceX at our Terafab facilities in Grimes County for a variety of intersecting business functions, including local and state government relationships, community and business relations, and educational outreach. In this role, you will work with internal and external stakeholders to help ensure that SpaceX has a robust and continually growing relationship with the local community. The position requires energy, initiative and dependability to produce results in support of SpaceX’s community relations strategic plan.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead engagement with civic leaders across Grimes County, TX and the broader Texas region to support core SpaceX and SpaceXAI priorities
- Develop, maintain, and build-upon a network of relationships with local government officials, lawmakers, and regulatory decision-makers
- Monitor and analyze local and regional policy developments
- Perform research as needed, develop policy and collateral materials
- Partner with the SpaceX Communications team to identify and support outreach and messaging opportunities
- Support the director of Government Affairs with statewide government relations priorities as needed
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree
- 5+ years of experience working in public affairs, including but not limited to state and local government policy, advocacy, government affairs, and/or legislative navigation and crisis/issue management
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Experience and existing relationships with community leaders in Texas
- Proven ability to develop and maintain strong relationships across a variety of stakeholder groups and issue areas
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Demonstrated history of achieving definitive, measurable outcomes through political or community engagement
- Experience working on issues directly related to corporate community relations
- Knowledge of local government affairs practices
- Passion for SpaceX's mission and goals
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must reside in or near Anderson, TX
- Must be willing to travel statewide to support company priorities
- Flexibility required including long hours and weekend work when necessary to support operations and critical project timelines
- Must be willing to attend political and industry events on behalf of SpaceX and SpaceXAI
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
- 5+ years of experience in public affairs, state or local government policy, advocacy, government affairs, legislative navigation, or crisis and issue management
- Must reside in or near Anderson, Texas
- Must be willing to travel statewide
- Must be willing to attend political and industry events on behalf of SpaceX and SpaceXAI
- Must meet ITAR employment eligibility requirements as a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible authorization recipient
- Existing relationships with community leaders in Texas
- Strong relationship-building skills across stakeholder groups and issue areas
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Demonstrated measurable outcomes through political or community engagement
- Experience with corporate community relations issues
- Knowledge of local government affairs practices
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.
