Sr. Mechanical Engineer, Machine Design (Starship)

SpaceX; Texas; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Mechanical Engineer, Machine Design for the Starship program at the Starbase facility in Texas. You will design, build, and activate production machines and infrastructure to enable rapid starship fabrication and testing.

You will work with cross‑disciplinary teams, size structures via calculations and FEA, manage large CAD assemblies, and ensure GD&T compliance. This role requires hands‑on manufacturing experience and travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering is required.
• 5+ years of professional experience designing and analyzing mechanical structures.
• Experience with CAD software design packages such as SolidWorks, NX, CATIA, or ProE.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and activate custom machinery and infrastructure to enable production and handling of Starship vehicles.
• Develop the Starfactory and Gigafactory concepts to enable rapid build, test, and operation of transport architectures.
• Collaborate with vehicle engineers to influence vehicle design and manufacturing processes to maximize production rate.
• Use technical knowledge to size structures, mechanisms, and perform fabrication and activation testing.
• Create detailed models and engineering prints in NX; perform hand calculations and analysis.

Skills

Project management

Prioritization under pressure

Collaborative teamwork

Production facility experience

CAD assemblies

Finite element analysis

Mass‑efficient welded structures

Mechanisms design

GD&T

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

CATIA

ProE

Job description

SR. MECHANICAL ENGINEER, MACHINE DESIGN (STARSHIP)

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.

As a member of the Starship Tooling team, you will work with a team of elite engineers across multiple disciplines to design, build, and activate critical production assets required to build the Starship launch vehicle. This position is based at our Starship production facility in Starbase, Texas but may involve work on designs that are implemented across all of SpaceX's sites supporting the Starship program.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design, build, and activate custom machinery and infrastructure to enable the production and handling of Starship launch vehicles
• Develop the Starfactory and Gigafactory of the future to enable rapid build, test, and operation of our transport architectures
• Collaborate with vehicle engineers to influence vehicle design and manufacturing processes to maximize production rate
• Use your technical knowledge to execute on structural sizing, mechanism design, hardware fabrication, and activation testing to deliver results on projects
• Create detailed models and engineering prints in NX
• Perform engineering hand calculations and analysis to size structures and mechanisms.
• Create manufacturing planning for scope performed by internal welding and toolmaking teams.
• Support machine activation with controls engineering team and perform development testing with production engineering team.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
• Experience using a CAD software design package (e.g. Solidworks, NX, CATIA, or ProE)
• 5+ years of professional experience designing and analyzing mechanical structures

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 5+ years of technical project management experience
• Ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Ability to work in a collaborative team environment, including daily interactions with engineers, technicians, suppliers, and leadership
• Experience working in a production facility with equipment and machinery
• Experience managing large CAD assembly models and drawings
• Experience with finite element analysis
• Experience designing and fabricating mass efficient welded structures
• Experience designing and testing mechanisms
• Strong understanding and application of GD&T
• Hands on experience with equipment manufacturing and implementation

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral
• Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary
• Willing to travel to other SpaceX locations as necessary
• Work schedule may vary depending on site operational needs, and flexibility is required
• Lifting, standing, climbing, bending, grasping, sitting, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying are generally required to perform the functions of this position

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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