SpaceX

Builds rockets and runs Starlink satellite internet

Principal Mechanical Engineer - Starship

Design EngineeringConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeBrownsville, TX, USANo salary listedIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline is required.
At least 7 years of experience with mechanical design and analysis is required.
Applicants must be available to work extended hours and weekends when needed based on site operational needs; flexibility is required.
Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or be eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Responsibilities

Develop design concepts from a clean sheet and size infrastructure systems based on operational loads, site conditions, and facility operations.
Collaborate with peers across disciplines to develop designs that balance cost, schedule, reliability, and capability.
Create detailed designs and generate computer-aided design (CAD) models for components, assemblies, and integration into the larger site.
Build analysis models to assess designs in detail and confirm they meet system needs.
Apply first-order hand calculations and empirical formulas to assess and iterate on designs rapidly.
Validate designs through development hardware, mockups, or first articles, and test critical joints, components, and design elements.
Support testing and commissioning of subsystems and full installations.
Partner with construction, build engineers, and technicians to improve designs.
Support hardware installation in the field, witness designs being built and brought online, and see them go into service.

Desired Qualifications

Experience designing, analyzing, building, and testing high-performance mechanical systems.
Experience working within interdisciplinary teams to develop solutions to challenging and complex problems.
Experience with finite element analysis (FEA) or a multiphysics simulation package such as NASTRAN, ABAQUS, or ANSYS.
Experience designing and executing qualification testing.
Strong understanding of mechanical first principles and structural analysis methodologies.
Proficiency in selecting materials and manufacturing methods for mechanical components.
Analytical or scientific programming experience using Python, MATLAB, or Excel.

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.

PRINCIPAL MECHANICAL ENGINEER (STARSHIP)

SpaceX is looking for a Principal Mechanical Engineer to help build the infrastructure behind power generation and supercompute at Starbase. You will own mechanical scope from concept through design, fabrication, construction, and commissioning. The work can span power generation, fluid and cooling systems, and the structures and equipment that production depends on. You will set the technical direction, work across engineering, construction, and operations, and see your decisions show up in hardware that has to perform in the field.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Develop design concepts from a clean sheet and size infrastructure systems based on operational loads, site conditions, and how the facility will actually run
Collaborate with peers across disciplines to develop designs that balance cost, schedule, reliability, and capability
Create detailed designs and generate CAD models for components, assemblies, and integration into the larger site
Build analysis models to assess your designs in detail and confirm they meet the needs of the system
Apply first-order hand calculations and empirical formulas to assess and iterate on your designs rapidly
Validate your designs through development hardware, mockups, or first articles, and test critical joints, components, and design elements
Support testing and commissioning of subsystems and full installations
Partner with construction, build engineers, and technicians to improve your designs
Support installation of your hardware in the field, witness your designs being built and brought online, and see them go into service

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
7+ years of experience with mechanical design and analysis

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Experience designing, analyzing, building, and testing high performance, mechanical systems
Experience working within interdisciplinary teams to develop solutions to challenging and complex problems
Experience with FEA or multiphysics simulation package (e.g. NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS)
Experience designing and executing qualification testing
Strong understanding of mechanical first principles and structural analysis methodologies
Proficiency in selecting materials and manufacturing methods for mechanical components
Analytical/scientific programming experience (i.e. Python, Matlab, Excel)
Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Must be available to work extended hours and weekends when needed based on site operational needs; flexibility required

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 Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected].

About the Company

SpaceX

Builds rockets and runs Starlink satellite internet

SpaceX builds and launches reusable rockets and spacecraft for NASA, the military, and companies, and it runs Starlink, a satellite internet service for homes and businesses. In 2020, its Dragon capsule became the first privately built spacecraft to carry astronauts to the International Space Station. Its Falcon 9 rocket lands its first stage so the booster can fly again, which cuts launch costs, while Starlink beams internet from low-orbit satellites to small dishes for a monthly fee. SpaceX also owns xAI, maker of the Grok chatbot and owner of the social network X, and is building Starship, a fully reusable rocket meant to carry people to the Moon and Mars. Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002, and it is based in Starbase, Texas.

Company size: 10,001+
Company stage: IPO
Headquarters: Starbase, Texas
Founded: 2002

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