New Graduate Engineer, Mechanical Design

About the Role

SpaceX is developing technologies to enable human life on Mars. As a Mechanical Design Engineer on the Starshield team, you will demonstrate extreme ownership through detailed design, hardware bring-up/characterization/testing, and requirements generation/verification, seeing hardware through its entire life cycle. You will collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams and think at a system level, rapidly exploring solutions for challenging problems.

Key Responsibilities

• Own hardware and mechanisms from conceptual design through volume production and on-orbit operations.
• Develop design criteria, collaborate on requirements, and drive system-level optimization.
• Rapidly iterate on designs and analysis to inform high-level systems trades and steer product direction.
• Drive holistic DFM (Design for Manufacturability) to reduce part count, error-proof fabrication and integration, and ensure consistent performance metrics.
• Establish an efficient product lifecycle from supply chain through final integration, balancing cost, complexity, and quality.
• Work closely with partner teams to design and realize an efficient in-house production line.
• Perform environmental and performance testing on hardware to validate analysis and demonstrate compliance with design criteria.
• Own product delivery timelines from conception through launch.
• Demonstrate extreme ownership of product outcomes at every stage of development and production.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering or STEM discipline.
• Experience with CAD or FEA software packages (professional, academic, entrepreneurial, or hobby settings).
• Experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis (internship and extracurricular experience applicable).
• Graduating with a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD in 2027.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Ability and willingness to obtain a Top Secret clearance.
• Solid understanding and application of GD&T.
• Demonstrated ability to own hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team outside a classroom setting (e.g., FSAE, Engineers without Borders, Student Directed Research, Design-Build-Fly, NASA student launch, personal entrepreneurial ventures).
• Demonstrated understanding of structural analysis and failure modes of complex mechanical systems.
• Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills.

Compensation and Benefits include a base salary range, potential eligibility for long-term incentives, company stock, discretionary bonuses, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, medical, vision, and dental coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, various discounts and perks, 3 weeks of paid vacation, 10+ paid holidays, and accrued paid sick leave.

Employees with an active clearance may receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually.

ITAR Requirements: Applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (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 required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.