Remote Principal Mechanical Engineer, Starship Hardware

Spacex; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer (Starship) to join our Starbase team in Texas or remotely. You will design and build flight hardware such as propellant tanks, primary structures, and subassemblies, owning end-to-end processes and influencing manufacturability.

You will develop CAD in NX, build FE models, perform hand calculations, run tests, and collaborate across vehicle systems to balance mass, cost, and performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering.
• 7+ years of mechanical design and analysis experience.
• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends.

Responsibilities

• Develop design concepts from a clean sheet and size vehicle structures based on flight loads.
• Collaborate with peers from different vehicle systems to develop designs that balance mass, cost, and capability.
• Create detailed designs to implement structural concepts and generate CAD models in NX for components, assemblies, and vehicle integration.
• Build finite element models to assess your designs in detail and analyze your structures to prove they meet the needs of the vehicle.
• Apply first-order hand calculations and empirical formulas to assess and iterate on your designs rapidly.
• Validate your designs by building development articles to test individual joints and design elements for strength.
• Perform structural testing on subassemblies and full sections of the airframe.
• Partner with build engineers and technicians to improve your designs.
• Support the assembly of your hardware in the factory, witness your designs being brought to life daily, and watch them take flight and make history.

Skills

Mechanical design

Finite element analysis

Python

Matlab

Excel

Cross-functional teamwork

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

NASTRAN

ABAQUS

ANSYS

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer (Starship) to join our Starbase team in Texas or remotely. You will design and build flight hardware such as propellant tanks, primary structures, and subassemblies, owning end-to-end processes and influencing manufacturability.

You will develop CAD in NX, build FE models, perform hand calculations, run tests, and collaborate across vehicle systems to balance mass, cost, and performance.