Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer: Raptor Chamber & Nozzle

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, vision, and dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

SpaceX in Hawthorne, CA is seeking a Propulsion Engineer to design, implement and scale manufacturing of Raptor thrust chamber and nozzle extension hardware with a focus on complex geometries and regenerative cooling.

You will collaborate with propulsion design, materials, production, and supply chain teams to translate new designs into robust, scalable processes, improve manufacturability, and drive high-rate, on-time production for Starship.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• 1+ years of hands-on experience with manufacturing process development for complex metallic components.

Responsibilities

• Own the fabrication, processes, and assembly of Raptor thrust chamber and nozzle extension hardware, including development and optimization of manufacturing methods for fabrication, joining, finishing, and verification.
• Create and refine manufacturing strategies, work instructions, custom fixtures, tooling, and workholding solutions for complex components.
• Build and maintain data pipelines that capture manufacturing telemetry to enable statistical process control, predictive analytics, and machine learning models for defect reduction and process optimization.
• Partner closely with propulsion design, materials, production, and supply chain teams to convert new designs into robust, scalable processes, resolve nonconformances, and drive design changes that improve manufacturability, reliability, and performance.
• Maintain holistic ownership of the production line, including process consistency, quality, capital equipment, ergonomics, safety, facility layouts, and the introduction of new products and revisions.
• Challenge existing processes daily while collaborating with multi-disciplinary engineers and technicians to support high-rate production, on‑time delivery, test, and launch operations.
• Own manufacturing software, documentation, simulation, version control, and process standardization; interface with internal and external fabrication, automation, and materials teams to meet production goals.

Skills

Manufacturing process development

DFM - design for manufacturability

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Job description

SpaceX in Hawthorne, CA is seeking a Propulsion Engineer to design, implement and scale manufacturing of Raptor thrust chamber and nozzle extension hardware with a focus on complex geometries and regenerative cooling.

You will collaborate with propulsion design, materials, production, and supply chain teams to translate new designs into robust, scalable processes, improve manufacturability, and drive high-rate, on-time production for Starship.