Propulsion Software Engineer (Falcon Engineering)

Starlink; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Performance bonuses

Medical vision dental

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation & holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Propulsion Software Engineer in Falcon Engineering to build automation and AI tools that accelerate engine design, test, and flight operations. You will own end-to-end solutions, from scoping with engineers to deployment and monitoring in a flight-critical setting.

Ideal candidates combine hands-on hardware experience with software development in Python/C++. Experience with engines, fluid systems, and propulsion cycles is highly valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or physics; OR 4+ years of professional experience in hardware engineering or engineering automation in lieu of a degree
• 1+ years of software development experience in Python, C/C++, or similar, with a focus on automation tools or AI integrations (professional and personal projects are applicable)
• 1+ years of hands-on experience with engines, fluid systems, or structural hardware in design, test, or operations (professional, academic, and student team projects are applicable)

Responsibilities

• Partner with Falcon and Merlin hardware engineering teams to identify manual, repetitive, and error-prone work and scope tools to automate it
• Build automation and data pipelines that process large volumes of engineering data, including telemetry, hardware design databases, configuration files, and manufacturing and test records, to streamline data review, flag anomalies, and surface insights
• Develop agentic AI systems, multi-agent workflows, and MCP servers on top of that data so engineers can query, analyze, and act on it across multiple internal systems
• Build internal web dashboards that give engineers a clear view of mission status, open work, and data review results
• Thoroughly test and validate all tools, including evaluating AI outputs against known-good results, so engineers can trust them in a flight-critical environment
• Support anomaly resolution by working directly with engineers on every Falcon sub-component to improve time-to-insight
• Participate in and lead architecture, design, and code reviews
• Collaborate with engineers across the company to extend and improve interoperability among existing tools

Skills

Python

C/C++

Automation tools

AI integrations

Hardware engineering

SQL

Linux/DevOps

Git

REST APIs

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or physics

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

React/TypeScript

FastAPI

Flask

Git

REST APIs

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 of enabling human life on Mars.

PROPULSION SOFTWARE ENGINEER (FALCON ENGINEERING)

The Falcon Engineering team is dedicated to delivering Falcon and its payloads to orbit rapidly and reliably.

As a Propulsion Software Engineer, you enable the long-term success of Falcon and its Merlin engines, improve hardware reliability, and remove recurring, time-consuming work from engineers' plates so they can focus on hard engineering. You do this by building agentic AI systems, MCP servers, RAG-based search, and traditional automation where it is the right solution. You own problems end-to-end: scoping the solution with the engineers who have the problem, rolling it out, measuring the time it saves, and maintaining it as the vehicle and processes evolve.

We are looking for engineers with hands-on hardware experience (engine test, fluid systems, or structures) who can code, so that the tools they build reflect how the hardware actually behaves and fails. Using that background, you will also support root cause analysis for anomaly resolution, providing data and model-driven insights to help operations and hardware teams with high-consequence decision making. With hundreds of Falcon launches and thousands of engine test operations, the work we do impacts both the hardware design process and the operation of every single mission and engine test.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Partner with Falcon and Merlin hardware engineering teams to identify manual, repetitive, and error-prone work and scope tools to automate it
• Build automation and data pipelines that process large volumes of engineering data, including telemetry, hardware design databases, configuration files, and manufacturing and test records, to streamline data review, flag anomalies, and surface insights
• Develop agentic AI systems, multi-agent workflows, and MCP servers on top of that data so engineers can query, analyze, and act on it across multiple internal systems
• Build internal web dashboards that give engineers a clear view of mission status, open work, and data review results
• Thoroughly test and validate all tools, including evaluating AI outputs against known-good results, so engineers can trust them in a flight-critical environment
• Support anomaly resolution by working directly with engineers on every Falcon sub-component to improve time-to-insight
• Participate in and lead architecture, design, and code reviews
• Collaborate with engineers across the company to extend and improve interoperability among existing tools

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or physics; OR 4+ years of professional experience in hardware engineering or engineering automation in lieu of a degree
• 1+ years of software development experience in Python, C/C++, or similar, with a focus on automation tools or AI integrations (professional and personal projects are applicable)
• 1+ years of hands-on experience with engines, fluid systems, or structural hardware in design, test, or operations (professional, academic, and student team projects are applicable)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience building agentic AI systems and multi-agent workflows, including prompt and context engineering, tool calling, MCP servers, and evaluating LLM outputs
• Comfort analyzing large time-series telemetry and sensor datasets in Python using pandas, NumPy, and SciPy, with a working knowledge of numerical methods and signal processing
• Strong SQL skills and experience with relational (PostgreSQL), non-relational, and vector databases, as well as integrating systems through REST APIs
• Proficiency developing on Linux with Git, automated testing, and CI/CD
• Familiarity deploying containerized applications using Docker and Kubernetes
• Experience building web dashboards, such as React/TypeScript frontends with FastAPI or Flask backends
• Hands-on experience testing liquid propellant rocket engines or working with pressurized fluid components such as valves, regulators, and pneumatic systems
• Familiarity with liquid propellant engine cycles, launch vehicle fluid systems, and launch vehicle structures
• Understanding of compressible and incompressible flow, thermodynamics, thermochemistry, mechanics, and materials
• Ability to read P&IDs and instrumentation drawings and relate them to vehicle telemetry
• Experience supporting integrated vehicle, pad, or launch operations

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:

Level 1: $125,000.00 - $160,000.00

Level 2: $145,000.00 - $195,000.00

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.

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 Aff…? [e-mail].