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.
SR. DYNAMICS ENGINEER (STARSHIP)
The Starship Dynamics team is responsible for induced vehicle environments, system dynamics and vehicle dynamics on the Starship and HLS vehicles. The dynamics group is focused on defining forcing functions acting on the vehicle, predicting vehicle and system response, and ensuring hardware is qualified for ground testing and flight. The group has a wide range of responsibilities that include structural dynamics, fluid system dynamics, engine dynamics and multibody dynamics. Dynamics engineers are expected to have a strong intuition of physics first principles, the frequency domain and a broad range of engineering disciplines, in addition to having solid software and analytical skills.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Resolve dynamics problems through analysis, test and the use of flight data
- Build finite element and lumped element models of launch vehicle systems
- Execute dynamic testing from start-to-finish (pre-test analysis, sensor selection & installation, testing, data analysis, signal processing and model correlation)
- Own system level analysis and drive hardware modifications or vehicle operations across vehicle engineering teams
- Perform analyses using commercial and in-house codes as well as write new code
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
- 5+ years of professional experience with structural or fluid dynamics
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Hands-on experience either analyzing data or building hardware
- Experience with fluid system modeling and structural-fluid coupling pogo problems
- Experience with NASTRAN (knowledge of DMAP programming a plus)
- Experience with turbomachinery and combustion dynamics
- Experience with vibration and shock testing
- Experience with finite element modeling
- Experience with solving ordinary differential equations
- Working knowledge of structural analysis and test, including a fundamental understanding of strength, stability and fatigue failure mechanisms
- Experience with data processing and analysis in Python and MATLAB
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Position may require extended work hours and weekend work
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay range:
Dynamics Engineer /Senior: $125,000.00 - $175,000.00/per year
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, stock options, 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 & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation & will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.
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 notify the Human Resources Department at (310) 363-6000.
Top Skills
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.
