Full-Time

Manufacturing Specialist

Starshield

SpaceX

SpaceX

10,001+ employees

Designs, manufactures, and launches rockets

Compensation Overview

$33 - $50/hr

+ Discretionary Bonus + Stock Options + Employee Stock Purchase Plan

No H1B Sponsorship

West Athens, CA, USA

In Person

Shift start around 5:00am; up to 5-10% travel to other SpaceX launch/test sites.

US Citizenship Required

Bachelor's, Master's, MBA, PhD, Associate's, MD

Category
Operations & Logistics (1)

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Requirements
  • Associate's degree or higher in an electronics, mathematical, or engineering discipline OR high school diploma and 5+ years of professional experience in testing, developing, and/or manufacturing electro-mechanical systems or harnessing in lieu of a degree
  • Must be able to work all shifts and available for overtime and weekends as needed
  • Estimated start time: 5:00am
  • Must be able to lift up to 25lbs., unassisted
  • Must be able travel to other SpaceX launch/test sites as needed: Up to 5-10% work week travel
  • Ability to perform job duties that require standing, kneeling, crouching, twisting upper body, working in cramped positions in small openings and climbing hand over hand are generally required to perform functions of this position
  • This job is onsite, remote work not considered
  • 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.
Responsibilities
  • Perform daily production activities – including sub-assembly builds, vehicle integration, resolving issue tickets and further actions, test checkouts, etc.
  • Work closely with the systems and design teams along with cross-functional partners to ensure solutions meet the mission requirements
  • Develop procedures/processes and manage the transition of parts and assemblies from development to high-rate production
  • Coordinate and execute development, qualification, and acceptance testing of systems and tooling needed to meet hardware deadlines
  • Analyze and resolve integration and manufacturing discrepancies (design, fabrication, and assembly)
  • Partner with engineering and production teams to drive improvements for current and next-generation vehicles
  • Guide multiple projects to completion for developmental testing and team readiness objectives
  • Self-monitor work progress and achieve on-time delivery of all work
Desired Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in electronics, mathematical, or engineering discipline
  • Experience and proficiency using Windows-based computers and Microsoft Office suite
  • Experience with manufacturing enterprise systems
  • Experience with automotive, aeronautic, and/or aerospace component integration
  • Hands-on project experience with complex electro-mechanical systems
  • Prior or current IPC-A-620, NASA 8739-4, or J-STD-001 certifications
  • Experience with Unigraphics NX/Teamcenter and PLM systems
  • Able to adapt to constantly changing work assignments and a fast-paced work environment
  • Excellent concentration and attention to detail with outstanding work efficiency and accuracy
  • Excellent communication (written and verbal) and teamwork skills

SpaceX designs, builds, and launches rockets and spacecraft for government and commercial customers, using reusable first stages to cut costs. Its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy recover their boosters to enable rapid reuse, while Dragon transports cargo and crew to the International Space Station. Starlink operates a satellite internet constellation to provide global broadband coverage. It earns revenue from launches and merchandise, with the broader goal of making space travel cheaper and, over time, enabling human life on other planets and expanding global internet access.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Starbase, Texas

Founded

2002

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Q2 2026 revenue rose 92% year over year, driven by Starlink's 66% growth.
  • Reuters says operating losses narrowed to $143 million, showing improving unit economics.
  • Flight 14 will deploy first upgraded Starlink V3 satellites, expanding capacity and monetization.

What critics are saying

  • SpaceX still lost $541 million in Q2 2026 despite $7.8 billion revenue and soaring spend.
  • Eight former employees still sue SpaceX in California for harassment and retaliatory firings.
  • Starship must clear regulatory approval and tower catches soon, or the Mars narrative collapses.

What makes SpaceX unique

  • Starship achieved Flight 13 splashdown July 24, 2026, proving reusable heatshield progress.
  • SpaceX won FAA approval January 29, 2026 for 44 Starship launches annually at KSC.
  • Starlink and AI integration gives SpaceX launch, connectivity, and compute leverage competitors lack.

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Benefits

Benefits and Perks - Our employees’ well-being is important to us and essential to our capacity to do extraordinary things. We offer a wide variety of programs to support the health, wellness, and financial security of our employees and their families.

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

-2%

2 year growth

-2%
Yahoo Finance
Aug 14th, 2026
SpaceX to attempt first Starship upper stage tower catch this month

SpaceX plans to attempt catching a returning Starship upper stage with its launch tower for the first time this month, CEO Elon Musk announced during the company's 4 August earnings call. The attempt is tentatively scheduled for late August, pending regulatory approval. The confidence follows Flight 13 on 24 July, which saw the Ship survive re-entry and splash down in the Indian Ocean. Flight 14 will also deploy Starlink V3 satellites into operational orbit for the first time. SpaceX has previously caught the Super Heavy booster, but never the Ship, which returns from space at much higher speeds. Tower catches enable faster turnaround by eliminating ocean recovery. SpaceX's connectivity segment grew revenue 66% year-over-year to $4.3 billion last quarter.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 14th, 2026
Elon Musk owns 48.4% of SpaceX worth $900B, filing reveals

A regulatory filing revealed Elon Musk owns a 48.4% stake in SpaceX as of 30 June, valued at more than $900 billion at current market prices. Musk holds 6.42 billion shares with sole voting power, though he noted on X that some shares have not yet vested. Despite economic ownership below 50%, Musk commands over 82% of SpaceX's votes. His 6.4 billion shares remain locked up until June 2027. SpaceX shares closed Thursday at $141.29, down 3.33%. The company's 12 June IPO raised $85.7 billion and briefly pushed market capitalisation past $2 trillion. Shares have since pulled back, though they've gained 3.83% over the past month. Norway's Government Pension Fund Global disclosed a 0.05% stake worth $1.2 billion.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 14th, 2026
Cathie Wood bets $44.7M on TSMC and SpaceX amid AI and space tech focus

Cathie Wood's ARK Invest purchased $44.7 million in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and SpaceX between late July and mid-August. The firm also bought $12.6 million in Nvidia shares on 10 August, following a $9.4 million purchase on 5 August. These purchases align with ARK's focus on artificial intelligence and space technology. The investments were partially funded by selling stakes in Amazon, Alphabet, and Shopify worth approximately $7.1 million combined. TSMC, the world's largest contract chip maker, reported second-quarter revenue of $40.2 billion, up 34% year over year. Meanwhile, SpaceX has traded below its pre-IPO price since its 12 June debut, having reported a loss exceeding $500 million in its first earnings report.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 14th, 2026
SpaceX shares surge 23% in five days as Grok 4.6 release beats GPT 5.6 Sol on coding benchmarks

SpaceX shares jumped nearly 10% following the release of Grok 4.6, an AI model upgrade focused on video and image tasks. The stock has risen 23% over five trading days but remains below earlier highs. Grok 4.6 scored 60.9% on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, compared with 55.8% for its predecessor. It trails Claude Fable 5 at 62.1% but outperforms GPT 5.6 Sol. In coding tasks, Grok 4.6 achieved 69.9% on CursorBench 3.2, nearing Fable 5's 70.5%. The model underwent extended supplemental training with curated data for reasoning and technical concepts. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggested competitor models would struggle to outperform the upcoming Grok 4.7. API pricing stands at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 13th, 2026
SpaceX stock rises 11% above IPO price as Starlink hits 22M mobile subscribers

SpaceX stock jumped 11% on Wednesday to $148.44, climbing above its June IPO price of $135 after the company launched 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The shares had closed at $133.29 on Tuesday. During an all-hands meeting, CEO Elon Musk said Starlink had 22 million mobile subscribers, though this figure may reflect partnerships with wireless carriers rather than standalone service. The company reported roughly 12 million customers for its fixed wireless internet service as of the second quarter's close. Starlink accounts for close to 70% of SpaceX's sales and generated $4.29 billion in second-quarter receipts. The overnight mission brought SpaceX's West Coast launch count for the year to 51. Investors are watching a second share lock-up expiration on 20 August, when about 320 million restricted shares are set to enter circulation.