Senior Mechanical Engineer, Starship Power & Cooling

Frontdoor Defense; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer (Starship) to lead end-to-end mechanical infrastructure design for Starbase power and cooling systems in Texas. You will own mechanical scope from concept through design, fabrication, construction, and commissioning.

The role requires setting technical direction and coordinating with engineering, construction, and operations to deliver hardware that performs in the field.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline required.
• 7+ years of experience designing and analyzing mechanical systems.
• Experience with high-performance mechanical systems and testing.
• Experience with interdisciplinary teams and complex problem solving.
• Experience with FEA or multiphysics tools (NASTRAN/ABAQUS/ANSYS).
• Experience in qualification testing and validating hardware in field.
• Strong understanding of mechanical first principles and structural methodologies.
• Proficiency in selecting materials and manufacturing methods for components.
• Programming experience (Python/ Matlab/ Excel) for analysis and tooling.
• Excellent written and oral communication and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop concepts from clean sheet and size infrastructure systems for power and cooling.
• Collaborate across disciplines to balance cost, schedule, reliability, and capability.
• Create CAD models and detailed designs for components and integration.
• Build analysis models to validate designs against system needs.
• Apply hand calculations and empirical methods for rapid iteration.
• Validate designs through hardware, mockups or first articles.
• Support testing and commissioning of subsystems and installations.
• Partner with construction and build engineers to improve designs.
• Assist field installation and witness equipment brought online.

Skills

High-performance mechanical systems

Interdisciplinary collaboration

FEA/multiphysics tools

Qualification testing

First principles & structural analysis

Materials & manufacturability

Programming (Python/ Matlab/ Excel)

Strong communication & organization

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer (Starship) to lead end-to-end mechanical infrastructure design for Starbase power and cooling systems in Texas. You will own mechanical scope from concept through design, fabrication, construction, and commissioning.

The role requires setting technical direction and coordinating with engineering, construction, and operations to deliver hardware that performs in the field.