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.
PRINCIPAL MECHANICAL ENGINEER (STARSHIP)
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Design and development: Lead the conceptual and detailed design of mechanical systems and components for Starship, including structures, mechanisms, and vehicle hardware, ensuring they meet performance, reliability, and mass targets
- Continuous improvement: Identify opportunities for innovation and improvement in mechanical designs, manufacturing methods, and integration processes to enhance vehicle capability and production efficiency
- Product testing: Plan and conduct testing and validation of new mechanical designs, hardware, and modifications to verify compliance with safety, performance, and environmental requirements.
- Technical support: Provide technical expertise and guidance to cross-functional teams on mechanical system design, integration, and operation throughout the vehicle lifecycle
- Project management: Lead or contribute to mechanical engineering projects from concept through qualification and flight, ensuring adherence to budget, schedule, and technical objectives
- Compliance and standards: Stay informed about aerospace industry standards, codes, and regulations, and ensure that designs and hardware comply with relevant requirements
- Documentation: Prepare technical reports, specifications, drawings, and documentation related to design, analysis, testing, and manufacturing activities
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in engineering and 8+ years of professional experience
- 7+ years of experience leading teams to produce engineering products
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Master’s degree in aerospace engineering or relevant engineering discipline
- Professional experience working with launch vehicles, space vehicles, command and control systems, and/or ground/space sensor systems
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with direct experience negotiating technical deliverables or scope
- Significant experience leading cross-functional teams and working with external customers and systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA) representatives
- Significant experience leading and performing quantitative system of systems architecture trades and development
- Experience working with government or commercial spacecraft entities
- Highly detail oriented, diligent, and hardworking
- Passion for advancing the commercial space industry
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, autonomously driven, and demanding start-up atmosphere
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be available to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to support critical milestones or operations shifts
- Must be willing to travel to other SpaceX offices and customer locations as needed, up to 25%
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 engineering
- 8+ years of professional experience
- 7+ years of experience leading teams
- Master's degree in aerospace engineering (preferred)
- Experience with launch vehicles, space vehicles
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.
