Test Engineer, Avionics (Starship)

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; United States; On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP is seeking a Test Engineer specializing in avionics for the Starship program. This role involves designing and developing production testing equipment to ensure the quality of wire harnesses in aerospace applications. You will engage in hands-on work, solving multidisciplinary problems across electrical, mechanical, and software domains.

The ideal candidate should possess a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and have at least 1 year of related experience. Additional skills in programming for test automation are preferred.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience in design, manufacturing, and/or production.
• Experience with wire harness electrical testing methods.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop production test equipment.
• Define and validate test methods ensuring flight-worthiness.
• Scale test capacity to support production rates.

Skills

Design and development of production test equipment

Root-cause analysis

Programming for test automation

Mechanical aptitude

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, aerospace, or manufacturing engineering

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.

TEST ENGINEER, AVIONICS (STARSHIP)

We are building the highest‑volume wire harness production operations in aerospace history to build thousands of Starship vehicles per year. In this role, you will design, build, and scale the test equipment, processes, and automation that sit between harness production and vehicle integration. You’ll create the systems that prove every harness is defect‑free and capable of withstanding extreme reuse, directly enabling Starship’s rapid flight cadence and making life multi‑planetary.

This is a highly hands‑on, multidisciplinary role for someone who enjoys solving problems across electrical, mechanical, and software domains while owning real hardware and seeing their work directly impact vehicles flying to orbit.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and develop production test equipment, test racks, and automation systems to verify wire harnesses and electromechanical assembly quality at scale
• Define and validate test methods that ensure harnesses meet extreme reuse requirements while remaining flight‑worthy, while driving root‑cause analysis and corrective actions on test failures
• Scale test capacity and throughput to support production rates of thousands of vehicles per year and own the transition of new test capabilities into sustained production use

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, aerospace, or manufacturing engineering
• 1+ years of experience in design, manufacturing, and/or production of mechanical, electrical, or fluid systems (internship and collegiate extracurricular engineering project experience qualifies)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• 3+ years of professional experience in high‑rated design and/or production of mechanical or electronics hardware systems
• Experience designing or building custom test equipment or automated test systems
• Experience with wire harness electrical testing methods, including continuity, dielectric withstanding voltage (DWV), insulation resistance, low‑resistance testing, capacitance, and high‑speed data testing (DSX)
• Proficiency in programming or scripting for test automation and data analysis
• Strong mechanical aptitude for designing test fixtures and hardware
• Experience working on multidisciplinary projects that combine electrical, mechanical, and software elements

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Willing to work weekends and extended hours as needed
• 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.

EEO STATEMENT

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 affirmative action plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [e-mail].