Six Figure Work

Sr. Manufacturing Engineer (Starship Machining Operations)

SpaceX

Company websitespacex.com (SpaceX, opens in new tab)

Base salary $135K  to $215K

Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Hawthorne, CA

Apply (opens in new tab)

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 (2 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.

SR. MANUFACTURING ENGINEER (STARSHIP MACHINING OPERATIONS)
 
The Hawthorne Starship Machining team machines and delivers parts used in critical applications on Starship/Super Heavy - from regulators and solenoids to butterfly valves. Operations engineers own the factory build and expansion, process flow, machine installation and commissioning, and project planning. Operations engineers have an eye for detail and simplicity and make that become reality on the factory floor. If you like strategic planning, building a new factory from scratch, juggling many different priorities, improving part flow, and spending most of your time away from your desk, a role on the operations engineering team may be for you!

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Design and own factory and production area layouts that enable increased capacity and capability for machining Starship components
  • Lead the installation and commissioning of new automated CNC machining cells, including the CNC machines themselves, automated material feed systems, automated part catch systems, and all other ancillary production cell equipment
  • Conduct job walks with vendors, negotiate prices and hold vendors to schedule
  • Execute on complex projects in the minimum amount of time and expense to the business
  • Get hands-on and lead by example to get projects completed rapidly
  • Actively develop system and process improvements across production teams
  • Develop tools to analyze delivery, capacity, and cost problems for production to guide decisions
  • Drive adherence to safety throughout the factory build-out process and design production work centers that are optimized for safety

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in physics or an engineering discipline
  • 5+ years of hands-on manufacturing experience

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Experience as an industrial, operations, process or manufacturing engineer in a developmental manufacturing environment
  • Experience with installing and commissioning complex machinery and automated manufacturing cells
  • Process engineering experience including project management, capacity modeling, process mapping, and layouts
  • Experience with industrial facilities: HVAC, gases, electrical, structural/foundations, etc.
  • 4+ years of experience in using Excel, SQL, or Python/R for analysis or modeling dynamic systems
  • Experience with lean, six sigma, and related production principles
  • Ability to work well across teams and skill sets to find the simplest and best solution
  • Experience as a contributor to multi-disciplinary and cross-functional teams

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Ability to stand for long durations and work directly with hardware on the floor
  • Ability to stoop and bend when necessary
  • Ability to lift/carry up to 25lbs (unassisted) for 1-2 hours per day
  • Ability to travel and work long hours or weekends when necessary
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 3: $135,000.00 - $215,000.00

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.

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)

How this pay compares

Base floor $135,000, above 34% of the 3,582 Engineering (non-software) roles in California on this site; the other 66% list the same floor or a higher one. The employer's range is $80,000 wide, 59% of the floor. Observed open for 8 days so far (since Oct 31, 2026).

Pay in context

Among 3,582 Engineering (non-software) roles in California listed on this site, the median base floor is $147,000 and the middle half runs from $125,000 to $173,000. This role's floor ($135,000) is above 34% of them; 43 others list the same floor.

Base floors of 3,582 Engineering (non-software) roles in California

Base floors of 3,582 Engineering (non-software) roles in California$100K to $125K: 24.9% (892); $125K to $150K: 29.1% (1,043); $150K to $175K: 21.2% (759); $175K to $200K: 11.6% (414); $200K to $225K: 6.4% (229); $225K to $250K: 2.5% (91); $250K to $275K: 2.1% (75); $275K and up: 2.2% (79)0%8%16%24%25%10029%12521%15012%1756%2003%2252%2502%275This job $135K
Each bar counts postings on this site by published base floor, in $K. The marker is this job's floor.
Table
Base floors of 3,582 Engineering (non-software) roles in California
Floor bandSharePostings
$100K to $125K24.9%892
$125K to $150K29.1%1,043
$150K to $175K21.2%759
$175K to $200K11.6%414
$200K to $225K6.4%229
$225K to $250K2.5%91
$250K to $275K2.1%75
$275K and up2.2%79
How this is calculated
Statistic
Base floor distribution of the cohort
Formula
count of cohort postings in each $25K band of published base floor / postings in the cohort
Denominator
3,582 open postings with this job family in California
Sample size
3582
Hidden when
needs at least 30 postings in the cohort
Calculation version
jobpage-analysis-v1
Data as of
2026-11-08
Employer set
Open jobs on this site that publish a base salary of $100,000 or more

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 8, 2026.

State against nationwide

Median base floor in California vs nationwide

Median published base floor of the same job family, in this state and across all states, next to this job's floor.
Table
Median base floor in California vs nationwide
Valuepostings
Engineering (non-software), California$147K3,582
Engineering (non-software), all states$136K8,144
This job's base floor (marked)$135K
How this is calculated
Statistic
Median floor, state vs nationwide
Formula
median published base floor of each cohort
Denominator
open postings of this job family
Sample size
3582 in California; 8144 nationwide
Hidden when
needs at least 30 postings in both cohorts
Calculation version
jobpage-analysis-v1
Data as of
2026-11-08
Employer set
Open jobs on this site that publish a base salary of $100,000 or more

How SpaceX pays

284 of SpaceX's 990 live roles on this site list a higher base floor and 614 list a lower one. Across them the median floor is $125,000; the middle half runs from $105,000 to $145,000.

Base floors of SpaceX's 990 live roles

Base floors of SpaceX's 990 live roles$100K to $125K: 36.9% (365); $125K to $150K: 38.2% (378); $150K to $175K: 16.1% (159); $175K to $200K: 4.4% (44); $200K to $225K: 3.5% (35); $225K to $250K: 0.9% (9)0%10%20%30%40%37%10038%12516%1504%1754%200<1%225This job $135K
Each bar counts this employer's live roles by published base floor, in $K. The marker is this job's floor.
Table
Base floors of SpaceX's 990 live roles
Floor bandShareRoles
$100K to $125K36.9%365
$125K to $150K38.2%378
$150K to $175K16.1%159
$175K to $200K4.4%44
$200K to $225K3.5%35
$225K to $250K0.9%9
How this is calculated
Statistic
Employer base floor distribution
Formula
count of the employer's open roles in each $25K band of published base floor / its open roles
Denominator
990 open public roles at this employer
Sample size
990
Hidden when
needs at least 5 roles
Calculation version
jobpage-analysis-v1
Data as of
current
Employer set
Open jobs on this site that publish a base salary of $100,000 or more

Similar pay elsewhere

Other employers' Engineering (non-software) roles in California with the nearest published base floor to $135,000, one per employer.

This range next to 6 other live SpaceX roles with the nearest advertised base floor
Chart as a table
This range next to 6 other live SpaceX roles with the nearest advertised base floor
RolePublished base
Sr. Manufacturing Engineer (Starship Machining Operations) (this listing)$135K - $215K
Software Engineer, Starlink Network$135K - $185K
Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, Machining (Starship)$135K - $190K
Software Infrastructure Engineer (Starlink)$135K - $185K
Software Engineer, Platform / Infrastructure (Starlink)$135K - $185K
Antenna Engineer (Starshield)$135K - $195K
Sr. Mechanical Engineer (HVAC)$135K - $190K

Same $100K to $400K scale as every card. All SpaceX roles · How to read the bar

Observed changes

No changes to the pay or listing since we first observed this role on Oct 31, 2026 (8 days ago).

  1. First observed on the employer's board, already publishing a qualifying base salary
Observed since
Employer-stated posting date
2026-09-28
Where this pay comes from

Location as the employer wrote it: Hawthorne, CA

Level 3: $135,000.00 - $215,000.00

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.

Get Six Figure Work by email

Pick what you want. Nothing is selected for you unless it matches the page you are on, and nothing is sent until you confirm from a link we email you.

What would you like to receive?

A short weekly note on what employer-published pay data shows: who pays what, where, and what is changing. Once a week.

Practical notes for job seekers: interviewing, applying for six-figure roles, and making an upward move. About twice a month.

New jobs that match a search you choose. Every job listed has an employer-published base salary of $100,000 or more. At most one email a day (or weekly, your choice). Nothing is sent on days with no new matches. Alerts cover every new job, because this page has no filters.

We email you only after you confirm from a link we send to this address. We do not sell or share your address. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link. How we handle your email.