Operations Engineer (Starshield)
Company websitespacex.com (SpaceX, opens in new tab)
Base salary $100K to $160K
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Hawthorne, CA
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationHawthorne, CA
- WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (3 h ago) · observed since
About this job
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.
OPERATIONS ENGINEER (STARSHIELD)
The operations engineering team supports Starshield through strategic planning, optimization of production processes, and alignment of resources to tasks. We are looking for engineers to lead cross-functional and multi-disciplinary teams that optimize and accurately track towards important national defense milestones in a fast-paced environment. We are seeking emerging leaders who can join teams and apply principles of operations engineering, operations research, industrial engineering, and data science to complex optimization and simulation problems. We are searching for qualified engineers who can conduct complex problem analysis, and steer strategic decisions.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop tools to analyze delivery, capacity, production processes, supply chain, and operations to guide decisions
- Work as part of a team to develop and manage strategy to mitigate future launch risks and seize emerging opportunities to improve quality, output, safety, and cost
- Develop process flow models to analyze production system behavior and synchronize output with other elements of the Starshield program
- Identify operational challenges within the organization; determine root cause, and develop appropriate solutions
- Develop and track key performance measures, and identify decision points and actions to optimize production to meet demand
- Actively develop system and process improvements within and between functional areas
- Collaborate with cross-departmental partners in supply chain, engineering, and accounting groups to synchronize efforts
- Capture best practices of production systems, and manage organizational knowledge and lessons-learned
- Build models and equipment layouts to aid in strategic space planning for the Starshield program
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
- 1+ years of experience in using Excel, SQL, or Python/R for analysis or modeling dynamic systems
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Proficiency with statistics, data analysis, cost/benefit analysis, and visualization
- Experience with CAD software, Power BI, and discrete event modeling tools
- Experience with inventory, production, and capacity planning (including MRP/ERP systems)
- Experience as an industrial, operations, process or manufacturing engineer in a developmental manufacturing environment
- Experience with lean, six sigma, and related production principles
- Experience or education in management science and engineering, operations engineering, operations research, or industrial engineering
- Experience as a contributor to multi-disciplinary and cross-functional teams
- Ability to work in fast-paced, high stress environments
- Excellent written and communication skills
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be able to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to meet major milestones
- Must be able to travel - up to 10% work week travel may be required to other sites
- Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg
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].
Source: SpaceX on Greenhouse · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($100,000) is above 0% of the 628 Business Operations roles in California listed on this site; 30 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $145,000; the middle half runs from $125,000 to $176,600.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 7, 2026.
This listingOperations Engineer (Starshield)$100K to $160K
Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software)$100K to $160K
Manufacturing Engineer - Supplier Development, Optics & Optomechanical Systems (Starlink)$100K to $165K
Mechanical Engineer, Satellite Harnessing (Starlink)$100K to $165K
Supplier Development Engineer, Silicon & Packaging (Starlink)$100K to $165K
Supplier Development Engineer, Manufacturing (Falcon & Dragon)$100K to $140K
Propulsion Engineer, Valves (Raptor Components)$100K to $135K
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Operations Engineer (Starshield) (this listing) | $100K - $160K |
| Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software) | $100K - $160K |
| Manufacturing Engineer - Supplier Development, Optics & Optomechanical Systems (Starlink) | $100K - $165K |
| Mechanical Engineer, Satellite Harnessing (Starlink) | $100K - $165K |
| Supplier Development Engineer, Silicon & Packaging (Starlink) | $100K - $165K |
| Supplier Development Engineer, Manufacturing (Falcon & Dragon) | $100K - $140K |
| Propulsion Engineer, Valves (Raptor Components) | $100K - $135K |
Observed changes
- First observed on the employer's board
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-09-22
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: Hawthorne, CA (Levels 1-2 combined)
Level 1: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00 Level 2: $115,000.00 - $160,000.00
- Method
- Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.
