New Graduate Engineer, Manufacturing (Starshield)

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.

NEW GRADUATE ENGINEER. MANUFACTURING (STARSHIELD) 

As an engineer within the Starshield Manufacturing organization, you will have the exciting opportunity to utilize your knowledge, experience, and creativity to develop novel solutions at the cutting edge of space technology. Expect to learn new skills, to work hands on with hardware, and to solve engineering problems across manufacturing and production domains. You will provide input into the development and optimization of our new and existing products. You will also collaborate cross functionally and be a vital part of the relationship between our engineering and production teams. 

The manufacturing team has a variety of disciplines and skillsets vital to the successful build, test, and utilization of Starshield products. An engineer on this team must have a working knowledge of design, schematics, operations, manufacturing, testing, and flight. They should also demonstrate sound engineering intuition and critical thinking and be comfortable working under ambiguous requirements with minimal oversight. Combining these skills, these engineers face challenges across a wide variety of work centers at the company, and the team is frequently asked to tackle new, inter-departmental development projects. The ultimate goal of the Manufacturing team is to ensure that satellites and customers achieve their mission. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team (design, build, and reliability engineers) and operations to efficiently build parts on schedule.
• Develop and revise production processes, procedures, equipment, tooling, and layout.
• Drive design for manufacturing and assembly during new product development and improvement cycles.
• Facilitate production of flight-qualified hardware at increasing production rate while reducing cost.
• Resolve complex manufacturing defects and eliminate root cause.
• Support design for manufacturing and assembly during new product development and improvement cycles.
• Manage integration build flow and test operations. 

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer engineering or other engineering discipline
• Graduating with a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD in 2026 or 2027
• Experience in design or manufacturing engineering (internships, extracurricular and academic projects apply) 

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• Master's degree in an engineering discipline
• Demonstrated experience working in a highly adaptive and iterative environment.
• Proven excellence in a high volume commercial, aerospace, or automotive manufacturing environment.
• Experience transitioning products from design to manufacturing and scaling to high volume as part of a cross-functional team.
• Experience with DOE, gage R&R and process qualifications.
• Experience defining production data requirements and SPC.
• Ability to design tooling for high volume manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience implementing automation into production processes.
• Experience integrating electromechanical or lamination assemblies with both manual and automated processes.
• Ability to develop and maintain high performing suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• Experience with NX and Teamcenter.
• Experience working with and defining requirements for ERP, MRP and MES systems.
• Ability and willingness to obtain a Top Secret clearance
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, or other programming language
• Demonstrated engineering intuition, critical thinking, comfort with ambiguity 

ADDITIONAL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• Some travel to other SpaceX sites may be required as needed, up to 10%
• Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to meet mission-critical deadlines
• This position is very hands-on and requires one to be on their feet for extended periods of time, up to 4 hours at a time
• Will often work side by side with our technicians and must be able to climb ladders, stoop, bend, crawl, and work in tight spaces
• An active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; if so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 1: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00
Level 2: $115,000.00 - $160,000.00

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 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.

Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.

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].