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Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, Machining (Starship)

SpaceX· Starship Components Machining
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Hawthorne, CA$135k - $190kFull-timePosted 6mo ago

About the role

Senior Manufacturing Engineer responsible for leading in-house machining capabilities, design for manufacturability, and production integration for SpaceX Starship components, with a focus on high-precision part delivery, equipment stewardship, CapEx strategy, and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the development and expansion of in-house machining capabilities for the SpaceX Starship components team, ensuring the delivery of high-precision, mission-critical piece parts to factory assembly lines with unwavering quality and efficiency.
  • Conduct advanced Design for Manufacturability (DFM) analyses on piece parts and assemblies, optimizing designs for seamless manufacturing, assembly, and testing while driving innovation in production scalability.
  • Foster strategic feedback loops with downstream operations, including design, testing, and integration teams, to champion product success, enable rapid iterative improvements, and mitigate risks proactively.
  • Oversee the investigation and resolution of quality issues from piece part inspections, authorizing dispositions for out-of-tolerance conditions through rigorous root-cause analysis, informed by comprehensive use-case evaluations, assembly impacts, and testing protocols.
  • Spearhead the identification, procurement, installation, and ongoing maintenance of machine shop equipment, including calibration protocols, to sustain peak operational performance and compliance with industry-leading standards.
  • Direct the overarching strategy for capital expenditures (CapEx), staffing models, equipment specifications, production layouts, training programs, and advanced machining processes, continuously evolving them to align with evolving mission objectives and technological advancements.
  • Champion cost optimization and reduction initiatives across fabrication and manufacturing processes, leveraging data-driven insights to achieve significant savings without compromising quality or safety.
  • Innovate and refine manufacturing and fabrication methodologies, techniques, and best practices, integrating cutting-edge tools and automation to enhance throughput, precision, and sustainability.
  • Strategically recommend and implement enhancements to operational sequences, equipment utilization, and workflow efficiencies, resulting in measurable gains in productivity and resource allocation.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with other SpaceX machine shop facilities and external partners to harmonize capabilities, resolve capacity constraints, optimize scheduling, and cultivate a shared ecosystem of resources for enterprise-wide scalability.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or physics
  • 5+ years of machine shop experience
  • Experience with taking products from research and development into production

Skills

Required:Design for Manufacturability (DFM)Quality issue investigation and root-cause analysis
Nice to have:CNC programming (lathes and mills)GD&T and inspection practicesMetrology systems (CMMs, photogrammetry, 3D imaging)

Benefits

  • Long-term incentives (stock or long-term cash awards)
  • Discretionary bonuses
  • Employee stock purchase plan
  • Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
  • 401(k) retirement plan
  • Short and long-term disability insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid parental leave
  • 3 weeks of paid vacation
  • 10+ paid holidays per year
  • Paid sick leave according to policy
Last updated Aug 12, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About SpaceX

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