Senior Mechanical Design Engineer — Spaceflight Structures

Starlink; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, vision & dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation & holidays

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer for the Starfall program in Hawthorne, CA. The role focuses on owning structures, fluid systems, and components that endure extreme space environments, driving design from concept through launch and reuse.

You will perform analyses, lead reviews, and collaborate with suppliers and internal teams to meet stringent requirements while influencing program direction through hands-on leadership and creative problem-solving.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of experience with CAD or FEA software packages.
• 5+ years of hands-on hardware experience performing fabrication, assembly, and/or testing.

Responsibilities

• Full ownership of primary and secondary structures, mechanisms, and/or fluid systems for our Starfall Cargo Vehicle.
• Use hand calculations, finite element analyses (FEA), and computer-aided designs (CAD) to ensure hardware meets requirements.
• Lead design reviews and hardware qualifications.
• Serve as technical interface with suppliers, customers, and internal production/launch teams.
• Own the hardware delivery timeline and success through inception, design, assembly, launch and re-use.

Skills

CAD/FEA experience

Hands-on hardware fabrication/assembly

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree in engineering

Tools

NX/Teamcenter

NASTRAN/ABAQUS/ANSYS

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer for the Starfall program in Hawthorne, CA. The role focuses on owning structures, fluid systems, and components that endure extreme space environments, driving design from concept through launch and reuse.

You will perform analyses, lead reviews, and collaborate with suppliers and internal teams to meet stringent requirements while influencing program direction through hands-on leadership and creative problem-solving.