Structures Design Engineer (Starship)

Future Ventures; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Structures Design Engineer for Starship to design metallic structures and propulsion fluid systems under accelerated timelines. You will review specifications, update drawings, and create detailed component assemblies with GD&T. Travel up to 25% may be required as part of collaborating with the production team.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering, 1+ years in mechanical design, and proficiency with 3D CAD tools (NX, SolidWorks).

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
• 1+ years of mechanical design and drafting experience (including internships or personal projects).
• Experience with 3D CAD software (NX, Solidworks, etc).
• Solid understanding and application of GD&T and tolerance stack-ups.
• Hands-on experience designing hardware in constrained timelines.
• Familiarity with sheet metal design, welded structures, and fluid systems.
• Ability to manage large assembly models and drawings.

Responsibilities

• Design metallic structures and propulsion fluid systems under accelerated timelines.
• Review specifications and other engineering data to develop mechanical systems.
• Update designs and drawings through engineering change orders to support rapid design iteration.
• Create detailed component and assembly drawings with GD&T considerations.

Skills

GD&T

Tolerance stack-ups

Team collaboration

Hands-on hardware

Problem solving

Sheet metal design

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

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 of enabling human life on Mars.

STRUCTURES DESIGN ENGINEER (STARSHIP)

The structures design engineer is responsible for designing and building flight hardware such as propellant tanks, integration interfaces, primary structures, and structural subassemblies. You will be empowered to make real-time decisions, solve complex problems on the fly, and own end-to-end processes. The role will require the readiness to develop subject matter expertise in design for manufacturability, specifically those related to sheet metal and subassembly design and fabrication. If you are ready to be a hardware owner, eager to get out from behind a desk, and be hands‑on working alongside a world‑class production team, this may be the right role for you.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design metallic structures and propulsion fluid systems under accelerated timelines
• Review specifications and other engineering data to develop mechanical systems
• Update designs and drawings through engineering change orders to support SpaceX's rapid pace of design iteration
• Create detailed component and assembly drawings incorporating an understanding of GD&T and tolerance stack‑ups

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
• 1+ years of mechanical design and drafting experience (including internships or personal projects)
• Experience with 3D CAD software (NX, Solidworks, etc)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Solid understanding and application of GD&T and tolerance stack‑ups
• Hands‑on experience working in school club or project teams designing hardware in a highly constrained system under defined timelines
• Familiarity with sheet metal design, welded structures, and fluid systems
• Ability to manage large assembly models and drawings
• Ability to work and communicate well in an integrated team including daily interactions with technicians, engineers, and leadership
• Creative problem solver that can bring multiple disciplines together to achieve buy‑in for a unified design direction
• Self‑motivated with strong multi‑tasking, organizational, communication and documentation skills

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be available to work long hours and weekends as needed
• Willing to travel to various SpaceX sites (up to 25%)

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.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affi... [e-mail].