SpaceX

Builds rockets and runs Starlink satellite internet

Senior Launch Engineer - Stage 0 Propellant Generation

Thermal & Fluids EngineeringConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeCape Canaveral, FL, USANo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering, or another engineering discipline.
At least 5 years of hands-on build or design experience.
The ability to respond to emergencies supporting priority projects, missions, and launches.
The ability to pass the Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral.
The ability to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
The ability to work in extreme outdoor environments, including heat, cold, wind, and rain.
The ability to work in environments with exposure to fumes, odors, and noise.
The ability to work in tight quarters and have the physical dexterity needed for the work.
The ability to lift objects up to 25 pounds unassisted.
The ability to work on ladders, lifts, and at heights up to 300 feet while using proper personal protective equipment.
Willingness to travel to other SpaceX sites and vendors up to 15%.
Must meet U.S. export-control eligibility requirements as a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or be eligible to obtain the required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Responsibilities

Analyze, design, and build systems that support rocket launches and testing.
Own projects from start to finish, including hosting design reviews, justifying project decisions, procuring equipment, and coordinating and assisting with construction.
Apply interdisciplinary engineering skills to system-level process design and initial sizing, detailed pressurized-fluid and thermal analysis, structural engineering, materials and component selection, and cost and schedule optimization.
Work directly with technicians and support groups to build designs and resolve real-world problems.
Maintain feedback with operations and construction teams and alter plans as needed to meet deadlines.
Activate, commission, and troubleshoot equipment to achieve design objectives, and iterate system maintenance strategies to reduce future downtime.
Perform hands-on field projects necessary to support rocket launches.
Provide solutions to problems with minimal supervision or direction.

Desired Qualifications

Think quickly and solve problems in time-critical situations.
Work collaboratively and show enthusiasm, self-motivation, and initiative.
Pay close attention to detail and identify interactions with other systems to avoid problems.
Address opportunities and challenges creatively while balancing cost and schedule.
Demonstrate strong fundamental intuition of fluid, structural, or mechanical systems.
Design systems for reliability, efficiency, and maintainability.
Have hands-on experience with automotive work, machining, welding, or other fabrication techniques.
Work independently and as part of a team, take initiative, and communicate effectively.
Adapt rapidly to changing roles and responsibilities in a high-paced work environment.
Verify designs with simplified hand calculations; experience with finite element analysis or computational fluid dynamics is a plus.
Have at least 3 years of mechanical, fluids, or thermal design experience in an industrial setting or equivalent.
Have experience with instrumentation, testing, data review and analysis, and verification against an analytical model.
Have experience with high-pressure and cryogenic fluid systems, components, and operations.
Have experience producing fabrication drawings.
Have intermediate computer-aided design skill; Siemens NX experience is a plus.
Have experience with American Society of Mechanical Engineers piping and pressure-vessel design.

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.

SR. LAUNCH ENGINEER, STAGE 0 PROPELLANT GENERATION (STARSHIP)

The Starship launch team is looking for a highly motivated individual to support launch pad fluid systems design and build with a focus on the implementation of cryogenic propellant processing and generation systems for all Starship launch sites, landing sites, test sites, production facilities, etc. Join the team responsible for launching the largest and most powerful rocket known to man!

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Analyze, design, and build systems that support critical rocket launches and testing
Cradle-to-grave project ownership through hosting design reviews, project decision justification, equipment procurement, and coordination and assistance of the construction of your ideas
Apply interdisciplinary engineering skills in fields of system-level process design and initial sizing, detailed pressurized fluid and thermal analysis, structural engineering, materials and component selection and cost/schedule optimization
Work directly with technicians and support groups to build your designs, and fix real-world problems on the fly
Maintain a tight feedback loop with operation and construction teams to rapidly alter plans as necessary to meet tight deadlines
Activate Commission and troubleshoot equipment to achieve design objectives and iterate system maintenance strategies to reduce future downtime
Apply a hands-on approach to tackling daily field projects necessary to keep the company launching rockets
Provide innovative solutions to problems under minimal supervision or direction

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering, or other engineering discipline
5+ years of hands-on build or design experience

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Experience with quick-thinking and problem solving in time-critical situations
Collaborative team player, enthusiastic, self-motivated, with a positive can-do attitude
Acute attention to detail, ability to see interactions with other systems to avoid problems
Creative and passionate approach to addressing opportunities and challenges while balancing cost and schedule
Strong fundamental intuition of fluid and/or structural/mechanical systems
Creativity to imagine and design for reliability, efficiency, and maintainability from scratch
General hands-on experience; automotive, machining, welding, and other fabrication techniques is a plus
Ability to work independently as well as part of a team, take initiative, and communicate effectively
Ability to rapidly change roles/responsibilities while maintaining a high sense of urgency in a high-paced, challenging work environment
Ability to verify designs with simplified hand calculations; experience in finite element analysis or computational fluid dynamics is a plus
3+ years of mechanical, fluids, or thermal design experience in an industrial setting or equivalent
Experience with instrumentation, testing, data review and analysis, verification against an analytical model
Experience with high pressure and cryogenic fluid systems and components and operations
Experience producing drawings for fabrication
Intermediate skill level using CAD (NX a plus)
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) piping and pressure vessel design experience

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Ability to respond to emergencies to support priority projects, missions, and launches
Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral
Ability to work extended hours and weekends as needed; flexibility is required
Ability to work in extreme outdoor environments when needed – heat, cold, wind, rain, etc.
Ability to work in an environment requiring exposure to fumes, odors, and noise
Working conditions may be in tight quarters and physical dexterity is required
Ability to lift heavy objects up to 25 lbs. unassisted
Ability to work on ladders, lifts, and at elevated heights (up to 300 feet) with proper personal protective equipment (PPE)
Must be willing to travel to other SpaceX sites and vendors- up to 15%

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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