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. STARSHIP ENGINEER, STRUCTURES
SpaceX is committed to developing revolutionary space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets. SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket – collectively referred to as Starship – represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Starship engineers will develop SpaceX's Starship spacecraft, solving complex problems relating to Ship, Booster, primary and secondary structures, thermal protection systems, aerodynamic control surfaces, stage separation systems, recovery systems, and more!
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Own primary and secondary structures on Starship
- Design flight hardware to achieve ascent, entry, and rapid reuse of next generation Starship launch vehicle
- Develop design criteria where definition is lacking
- Perform hand calculations and FEA to develop, assess, and optimize designs
- Incorporate design for manufacturing principles and supervise first article builds
- Work and drive cross-functional teams to balance operational needs across vehicle systems while optimizing for speed, performance, and cost
- Design and execute qualification testing
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
- 5+ years of experience with mechanical design and analysis (competition team or internship experience qualifies)
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Experience designing, analyzing, building, and testing high performance, mechanical systems.
- Experience working within interdisciplinary teams to develop solutions to challenging and complex problems.
- Experience with FEA or multiphysics simulation package (e.g. NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS)
- Experience designing and executing qualification testing
- Strong understanding of mechanical first principles and structural analysis methodologies.
- Proficiency in selecting materials and manufacturing methods for mechanical components.
- Analytical/scientific programming experience (i.e. Python, Matlab, Excel)
- Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay range:
Mechanical/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 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. 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.
