Sr. Fluids Engineer, Production (Starship)

SpaceX; Brownsville (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Fluids Engineer in production for Starship at Starbase. You will design, build, and commission fluid systems, owning them from concept to handoff to production.

You will work with the build shop and partner teams to develop scalable manufacturing processes and ensure reliability for high-pressure production and testing. The role requires hands-on engineering, problem solving from first principles, and close collaboration with technicians, operators, and other engineers to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, or another technical discipline.
• 5+ years of fluid systems design, analysis, and build experience.
• Demonstrated ownership of a hardware project with minimal supervision; clear communication with technicians and engineers.
• Experience sizing piping, valves, regulators, and relief devices using basic flow calculations.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and commission fluid systems for Starship production, including test and manufacturing systems.
• Size systems and select components using hand calculations and testing to prove design.
• Own the system from concept through design reviews and handoff to production.
• Define operation/controls and work with automation for monitoring and control.
• Support vehicle test operations, troubleshoot, and improve equipment reliability and safety.
• Collaborate with build shop and partner teams to develop scalable manufacturing processes.

Skills

Fluid system design

Project ownership

Cross-functional collaboration

Troubleshooting & problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, manufacturing or related technical field

Tools

3D CAD modeling

Fluid schematics

PLC/Controls basics

FEA

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 ofenabling human life on Mars.

SR. FLUIDS ENGINEER, PRODUCTION (STARSHIP)

Starship is the largest and most capable space launch system ever developed. With the capability to deliver in excess of 100 metric tons to Earth's orbit, it will fundamentally change access to space, and is the technology that will be used to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars. We will ultimately need thousands of Starships to accomplish that feat.

The Starbase production fluids team builds, maintains, and operates the fluid systems the Starship factory runs on. This includes high pressure production test equipment used to validate vehicles and components, vehicle press systems, and cleaning and contamination control equipment. Engineers on this team own hardware from problem statement through design, build, commissioning, and handoff to the technicians and operators who use it every day.

We are looking for hands‑on engineers who can reduce a messy production problem to first principles, design the simplest system that meets the requirement, and stay with it until it is fully handed off and documented. You will work directly with our build shop, partner teams, and production customers on an accelerated schedule.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design, build, and commission fluid systems for Starship production, including test systems, manufacturing systems, and cleaning equipment.
• Size systems and select components from hand calculations, then prove the design with testing.
• Own the system from concept through design reviews, failure mode analysis and ConOps, 3-D modeling, build instructions, testing and maintenance plan, and a handoff to production.
• Define how the system is operated and controlled, and partner with our automation team to deploy monitoring and controls.
• Support critical vehicle test operations, provide troubleshooting and technical support, and improve the equipment so it stays reliable and safe.
• Work closely with partner teams including our build shop to develop efficient and scalable manufacturing processes for your systems
• Develop and maintain detailed timelines to capture and communicate project progress
• Own the strategic outlook for your systems including critical prioritization

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, or other technical discipline
• 5+ years of fluid systems design, analysis, and build experience

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Demonstrated ownership of a hardware project with little supervision, including clear communication with technicians, operators, and other engineers.
• Experience sizing piping, valves, regulators, and relief devices using basic compressible and incompressible flow calculations.
• Experience creating 3D CAD models, manufacturing drawings, fluid schematics, and failure mode analysis.
• Experience deploying equipment into a factory, plant, or test environment, including operating procedures, maintenance, and uptime.
• Experience with any of the following: high-pressure gas, cleanliness or contamination control, PLCs or industrial controls, basic electrical schematics, circuits, and testing, pressure‑vessel or structural hand calculations, FEA, or industrial water, wastewater, or process plants.
• Experience using and creating AI tools to solve engineering problems.

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.

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