Electric Propulsion Engineer, Mechanical (Starshield)

SpaceX; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

401(k) retirement plan

Medical, vision, dental

Paid vacation & holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

SpaceX in Hawthorne, California is hiring an Electric Propulsion Engineer to join a collaborative team delivering flight-qualified satellite propulsion hardware. You will own end-to-end hardware from design through production support and qualification for in-space propulsion systems.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, physics or related engineering and 3+ years of experience in propulsion design, testing, or related hardware.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, physics, or related engineering.
• 3+ years of experience designing, testing, and analyzing electric propulsion systems or related hardware.

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, test, and provide operational support for high-volume propulsion hardware.
• Partner with manufacturing to enable reliable, high-rate production.
• Develop and execute qualification test plans for flight readiness (vibration, thermal, life cycle).
• Lead root-cause investigations and redesigns to improve reliability and production rates.
• Communicate risks clearly and collaborate across technicians, engineers, and managers.

Skills

Propulsion design

Test & analysis

Root-cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, physics, or related engineering

Tools

Vacuum chambers

Data acquisition

Instrumentation

Job description

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 ofenabling human life on Mars.

ELECTRIC PROPULSION ENGINEER, MECHANICAL(STARSHIELD)

Starshieldleverages SpaceX's Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use,Starshieldis designed for government use, withan initialfocus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.

SpaceX is hiring an Electric Propulsion Engineer to join a collaborative engineering team working on design, analysis, build, and test of flight-qualified satellite electric propulsion systems for in-space constellations. In this role you will contribute end-to-end hardware ownership—from design through production support and qualification for propulsion systems that must meet demanding flight reliability requirements through iterative design, test, and refinement.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design, analyze, test, and provide operational support for high-volume production spacecraftelectricpropulsion hardware
• Partner with manufacturing to ensure designs enable efficient, reliable, high-rate production
• Design, build,modify, operate, and troubleshoot electric propulsion test facilities, including vacuum chambers,pressure systems,cryogenic pumps, data acquisition and control systems, and associated instrumentation
• Analyze and review test datawithnumericaltools to confirm hardware isoperatingas expected and inform design decisions
• Lead root-cause investigations andcomponentredesigns to improve reliability and/or production rates
• Develop and execute qualification test plans for flight readiness (vibration, shock, thermal cycle, life cycle, fault injection)
• Make rigorous, risk-informed trades across cost, lead time, reliability, and performance to meetprogram reliability targets for mission-critical flight hardware
• Own critical spaceflight hardware end-to-end, with support from manufacturing, reliability, test, and operationsteams
• Workasan integrated team,with daily interactions among technicians, engineers, and managers;identifyand implement design and process improvements
• Communicate clearly under ambiguity, elevate technical and schedule risks early, and collaborate through disagreement

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, physics, or other engineering discipline
• 3+ years of total experience in one or a combination of the following: professional experience designing, testing, and analyzing electric propulsion systems; or related spacecraft propulsion, fluid, pressure, plasma, or thruster-adjacent hardware experience (e.g., thermal, structural, power, or diagnostics for EP/plasma systems)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Demonstrated delivery ofhardwareforhigh-reliability or safety-critical use
• Working knowledge ofstructural design, materialsproperties,thermodynamics, fluid/pressure/vacuumsystems,andnumerical analysisprogramming(e.g.,Python, MATLAB); plasma physics as applicable(depth in several of these areas is valued; mastery of all is notexpected)
• Experienceprioritizingconcurrent design, build, and test work against flight and production milestones
• Clear documentation habits and attention to detail appropriate for flight hardware
• Track record of improving designs and processes for reliability, rate, or quality
• Active Top Secret or Top Secret/SCI clearance, or ability and willingness to obtain aTop Secretclearance, is desired but not required

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
• Ability to perform essential job duties that may include working in and around vacuum chambers- standing, kneeling, crouching, twisting the upper body, working in cramped positions in small openings, and climbing hand-over-hand. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time
• This role is fully on-site to support hands-on test facility and hardware work

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 2: $120,000.00 - $170,000.00

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 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. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

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, 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 Affir... or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [e-mail].