SpaceX Hiring New Graduate Mechanical Design Engineer (Starshield)

SpaceX was founded on the belief that a future where humanity explores the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we do not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

Our team is working on some of the most challenging and ambitious projects on Earth: making humanity multiplanetary. As a Mechanical Design Engineer, you will take full ownership of detailed design, hardware bring-up, characterization, and testing, as well as requirements generation and verification. You will collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams and think at a system level to ensure your design is viable. With rapid development timelines, you will rigorously explore solutions for previously unsolved problems, pushing the limits of what is possible through innovation, determination, and teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Own hardware and mechanisms from conceptual design through volume production and on-orbit operations to support various customer needs.
• Develop design criteria, collaborate on requirements, and drive system-level optimization.
• Rapidly iterate on designs and analysis to inform high-level system trades and steer overall product direction.
• Drive holistic design for manufacturability (DFM) to create elegant designs with a focus on reducing piece part and process counts, error-proofing at every step of fabrication and integration, and achieving consistent performance and production metrics.
• Establish an efficient product lifecycle from supply chain through final integration, balancing cost, complexity, and quality; work closely with partner teams to design and realize an efficient in-house production line.
• Perform environmental and performance testing on hardware to validate analysis and demonstrate compliance with design criteria.
• Own product delivery timelines through conception, design, assembly, and launch.
• Demonstrate extreme ownership of product outcomes at every stage of development and production.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering or STEM discipline.
• Experience with CAD or FEA software packages (professional, academic, entrepreneurial, or hobby setting).
• Experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis (internship and extracurricular experience applicable).
• Graduating with a bachelor's, master's, or PhD in 2027.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master's degree in engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Ability and willingness to obtain a Top Secret clearance.
• Solid understanding and application of GD&T.
• Demonstrated ability to own hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team outside a classroom setting (e.g., FSAE, Engineers without Borders, Student Directed Research, Design-Build-Fly, NASA student launch, personal entrepreneurial ventures).
• Demonstrated understanding of structural analysis and failure modes of complex mechanical systems.
• Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills.

Additional Requirements

• An active clearance may provide the opportunity to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; if so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing.

Compensation and Benefits

Pay Range: Level 1: $100,000 - $130,000; Level 2: $115,000 - $160,000.

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related knowledge, skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives (company stock or cash awards), discretionary bonuses, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Benefits include comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various discounts. You may accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Paid sick leave is provided per company policy.

Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.

ITAR Requirements

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, a U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), a refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or an asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment is governed on the basis of merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced 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 SpaceX's Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or requiring reasonable accommodation, should contact [email protected].