Space Payload Integration Engineer

SpaceX; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

401(k) retirement plan

Medical, vision, and dental coverage

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Job summary

SpaceX in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Mission Integration Engineer, Special Programs to own payload-to-platform integration from requirements through test, flight, and on-orbit operations.

You will coordinate with vehicle engineering, structures, avionics, thermal, software, flight reliability, and launch and space operations to ensure interface compliance and safe mission execution. The role requires a Top Secret SCI clearance and strong systems engineering skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or STEM discipline.
• Ability to obtain a Top Secret SCI clearance.
• Experience applying systems engineering methods (requirements, interfaces, verification, or integration and test).
• Excellent verbal and written technical communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the payload-to-platform ICD: define, baseline, and configuration-control mechanical, electrical, data, and thermal interfaces.
• Allocate customer and vehicle requirements to the interface; maintain traceability through analysis, test, and inspection.
• Evaluate payload design against platform constraints and environments (static, dynamic, thermal, electromagnetic) for launch, on-orbit, and re-entry.
• Lead interface trades (mass, volume, keep-out, loads, power, thermal, EMI/EMC, timeline) and document the technical basis.
• Disposition interface non-compliances with engineering: waiver, redesign, or operational constraint, including work-around plans where required.
• Define and support integrated test: interface checkout, EGSE, mate/demate, environmental test correlation, and end-to-end mission timeline.
• Build and maintain the integrated mission CONOPs (on-orbit operations) with payload, vehicle, and operations teams.
• Identify technical risk at the payload–platform boundary, including Do No Harm to the vehicle and to co-manifested payloads; drive mitigations to closure.
• Support design reviews, test readiness, and flight readiness with evidence of interface compliance—not as a customer-facing facilitator, as the responsible engineer for the interface.
• Communicate interface status, open items, and technical decisions to payload providers and internal engineering teams.

Skills

Systems engineering

Technical communication

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or STEM

Master’s degree in engineering

Job description

SpaceX in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Mission Integration Engineer, Special Programs to own payload-to-platform integration from requirements through test, flight, and on-orbit operations.

You will coordinate with vehicle engineering, structures, avionics, thermal, software, flight reliability, and launch and space operations to ensure interface compliance and safe mission execution. The role requires a Top Secret SCI clearance and strong systems engineering skills.