Mission Integration Engineer (Starshield)

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options / long-term incentives

Medical, vision, and dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off: vacation and holidays

Job summary

SpaceX in Hawthorne, CA seeks a Mission Integration Engineer (STARSHIELD) to lead system trades across launch vehicles, spacecraft, and sensors, and to integrate concepts from proposal to on-orbit activation.

The role requires a strong background in space vehicle design, integration, and verification, with the ability to solve complex problems in a fast-paced environment and to communicate technical concepts clearly to stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
• 1+ years of experience with product design, development, manufacturing, integration, and/or test.
• Master’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of technical project management experience with US government, NASA, or commercial spacecraft entities.
• Previous spacecraft mission design, development, integration, and/or test experience.
• This position requires obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance and ability to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical development from proposal through test, flight, on-orbit commissioning, demonstrations, and mission execution.
• Ensure contract deliverables are completed on-time and per customer expectations, distill requirements into actionable criteria and verification plans.
• Serve as the customer interface at meetings and reviews to develop interface requirements, test plans, operations procedures, and design missions.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to drive program success and consider trades across team boundaries.
• Support all phases of the program from development through on-orbit commissioning, and educate the customer on designs and methodologies.

Skills

System integration

Mission design

Technical communication

Problem solving

Spacecraft engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master’s degree in engineering

Job description

Hawthorne, CA

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.

MISSION INTEGRATION ENGINEER (STARSHIELD)

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.

As a member of our Mission Management team, you will serve as a core point of contact for customers from early capabilities studies through successful launch and on-orbit activation. You’ll also support new business proposals from initial requirements negotiation through final handoff and validation.

You will lead and integrate system trades of various launch vehicles, spacecraft, and sensors, analyze a wide variety of solutions to meet mission needs and support the development of operational concepts and interfaces at the mission, segment, system, and sub-system levels. You will be given significant latitude to be creative, conceiving and testing various engineering approaches to determine which is best suited to meet technical and programmatic objectives.

An ideal candidate has a strong technical background in space vehicle design, integration, and verification across the program lifecycle. We are looking for engineers who enjoy solving complex problems, can work effectively in a fast-paced environment, and are passionate about advancing the space industry.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Key technical leader in all phases of development from initial proposal development through successful test, flight, on-orbit commissioning, demonstrations, and mission execution.
• Ensure contract deliverables are completed on-time and per customer expectations, distill customer mission requirements into actionable development criteria, objectives and verification plans.
• Serve as the customer interface at meetings and reviews to develop interface requirements, test plans, operations procedures, design missions, system risks and verify spacecraft flightworthiness.
• Work with all internal and external stakeholders to drive program success. Collaborate with subsystem representatives across team boundaries to consider all necessary trades and ensure end-to-end mission success.
• Support all phases of the program from development, initial proposal, through successful test, flight, and on-orbit commissioning. This will include educating the customer on our designs and methodologies.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
• 1+ years of experience with product design, development, manufacturing, integration, and/or test (internships and collegiate clubs/projects apply).

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of technical project management experience with US government, NASA, or commercial spacecraft entities.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and deliver reliable and expeditious results across multiple parallel priorities.
• Previous spacecraft mission design, development, integration, and/or test experience.
• Positive, “can-do” attitude, self-starter, and ability to work in a high pace dynamic environment.
• Highly detail-oriented, diligent, accountable, and professional with excellent written and verbal technical communication skills.
• Strong penchant for innovation in process improvement and system design.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment. While the clearance may not be immediately necessary upon hire, we encourage you to initiate the application process promptly upon accepting this offer. Your ability to secure the necessary clearance is essential for fulfilling key responsibilities of the role. Should you be unable to obtain it, SpaceX reserves the right to modify or terminate your employment to align with operational needs.
• Must pass DoD level background checks for entry into various government facilities.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 1: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00
Level 2: $115,000.00 - $160,000.00

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.

• 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 Aff.