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Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer (Starship Components)

SpaceX· Starship Components Design
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Hawthorne, CA$135k - $190kfull-timePosted 3mo ago

About the role

Senior mechanical design engineer focused on Starship/Super Heavy propulsion components, owning hardware from concept to delivery, and coordinating with manufacturing, test, and vehicle integration to enable high-rate production and reliable operation in extreme environments.

Responsibilities

  • Develop state-of-the-art, manufacturable flow control devices (valves, regulators, solenoids), mechanisms (flap/fin/payload door actuators), and electromechanical devices through end-to-end ownership (design, analysis, production layout, assembly, environmental testing, and vehicle integration) across Starship and Super Heavy stage systems.
  • Validate reliability of hardware and designs with rigorous testing: shock, vibration, thermal cycling, pressure cycling, and climatic exposure. Design experiments to ground analysis, develop fixturing, and create technical reports based on results.
  • Partner with manufacturing, production, testing, and supply chain to achieve SpaceX’s highest-yet component build rate, striving for high factory yield and automotive volume/cost. Accelerate component delivery to >1 full stacked launch vehicle per month
  • Generate and maintain detailed drawings, component specifications, analysis and risk assessments
  • Spearhead root cause investigations that arise in development, production, test, integration and launch, implement corrective actions to prevent repeat failures
  • Set the standard for rigorous component design and qualification testing, increasing scrutiny as the vehicle matures in pursuit of commercial and crewed orbital missions
  • Target zero in-flight anomalies of propulsion components. Reduce component-caused production and launch delays, and minimize containments
  • Act as the chief engineer, collaborating with stage/component teams to arrive at the simplest solution for the vehicle. Inform system-level architecture, with component capabilities and vulnerabilities in mind, to minimize cost of payload to orbit

Qualifications

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

Skills

Required:Flow control devices design (valves, regulators, solenoids)Mechanical system design and analysisRoot cause investigation and corrective action

Benefits

  • Long-term incentives (stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards)
  • Discretionary bonuses and 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
  • Paid vacation (3 weeks)
  • 10+ paid holidays per year
  • Paid sick leave per company policy and related benefits
Last updated Jul 8, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About SpaceX

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