Structures Engineer (Starship)

STRUCTURES ENGINEER (STARSHIP)

The Starship Structures team is responsible for the airframe of the Starship vehicle. You will develop the airframe from the structural concept through detailed design and ultimately through structural testing and build. The team works on all airframe elements: the section that supports the engines, the spacecraft’s propellant tanks, and the payload bay.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop design concepts from a clean sheet and size vehicle structures based on flight loads
• Collaborate with peers from different vehicle systems to develop designs that balance mass, cost, and capability
• Create detailed designs to implement structural concepts and generate CAD models in NX for components, assemblies, and vehicle integration
• Build finite element models to assess your designs in detail and analyze your structures to prove they meet the needs of the vehicle
• Apply first-order hand calculations and empirical formulas to assess and iterate on your designs rapidly
• Validate your designs by building development articles to test individual joints and design elements for strength
• Perform structural testing on subassemblies and full sections of the airframe
• Partner with build engineers and technicians to improve your designs
• Support the assembly of your hardware in the factory, witness your designs being brought to life daily, and watch them take flight and make history

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering
• 1+ years of engineering experience designing, analyzing, or building structures (internship and school projects experience qualify)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience and passion for creating, tinkering, taking things apart, and building them again
• Ability to communicate mission-critical messaging effectively, explain complex topics succinctly, and ask questions to verify or defend technical rational
• Demonstrated experience driving and delivering significant outcomes
• Proven application of passion and curiosity to learn, build, and complete impactful projects.
• Experience transitioning products from design to manufacturing and optimizing for high-volume
• Proven experience designing metallic structures, ideally stainless-steel
• Ability to make informed executive decisions
• Experience leading or working on an engineering competition team, i.e. Formula SAE, Baja SAE, RoboSub, Combat Robotics or similar

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be available to work extended hours and weekends as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:
Structures Engineer/Level I: $95,000.00 - $115,000.00/per year
Structures Engineer/Level II: $110,000.00 - $130,000.00/per year

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, stock options, 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. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.