Manufacturing Engineer (Turbomachinery Assembly Line) - Starship Propulsion

Hawthorne, CA

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.

MANUFACTURING ENGINEER (TURBOMACHINERY ASSEMBLY LINE) - STARSHIP PROPULSION 

SpaceX is seeking a highly motivated engineer to join our team in designing and developing the assembly line for the Starship Gasifier - a turbomachinery system that provides increased performance and operational capability to Starship and Super Heavy. Engineers in this role demonstrate a very high level of engineering intuition, critical thinking, system level expertise, and are comfortable working under tight deadlines with loosely defined requirements and minimal oversight. Combining these skills, this engineer will develop a brand new manufacturing system for Starship, evolving development tests to full-rate production capability. They will face challenges across a wide variety of work centers at the company and will be at the forefront of developing manufacturing, integration and test processes for next generation systems. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

  • Develop assembly processes, techniques, and tools to enable efficient and high rate assembly of the Gasifier system - including tight tolerance turbopump assembly, proof, fluid and mechanical testing and balancing)
  • Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of turbomachinery and manufacturing engineers - every engineer at SpaceX assumes profound responsibility for their processes 
  • Develop standards and processes to increase reliability and decrease process time 
  • Drive simplicity into the vehicle's systems at every level
  • Lead troubleshooting and diagnostic efforts of build/test issues in real time  
  • Author work instructions to address both nominal and off nominal work scopes  
  • Manage changes and upgrades as the system develops  
  • Develop and train teammates to support empowered product ownership utilizing risk-conscious decision-making skills under pressure
  • Maintain a positive and constructive attitude in the face of technical and non-technical challenges

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

  • Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or physics 
  • 1+ years of hands-on engineering experience (design teams and previous internships qualify) 

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

  • Strong hands on experience with turbomachinery hardware build and design of manufacturability 
  • Experience designing tools and shop aides to improve the manufacturability of systems 
  • Experience in planning and execution of basic test operations 
  • Experience developing test software/automation 
  • Experience writing test plans, procedures and providing go/no-go judgment and rationale 
  • Well versed in GD&T and its inspection procedures and processes
  • Systems engineering experience, ability to understand multi-disciplinary integrated systems 
  • Experience creating, reading, and interpreting electrical and fluid schematics 
  • Experience with integration and testing of propulsion and/or electrical systems 
  • Experience at a nimble engineering organization or in a highly technical position that required a scrappy, entrepreneurial manner to accomplish tasks with tight time or budget constraints

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

  • Ability to respond to emergencies to support priority projects 
  • Available to work extended hours and weekends as needed based on operational needs; flexibility is required 
  • Must be willing to travel to other SpaceX sites when needed 

 COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:          
Propulsion Engineer/Level I: $95,000.00 - $115,000.00/per year
Propulsion Engineer/Level II: $110,000.00 - $130,000.00/per year

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

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 EEOCompliance@spacex.com. 

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