Electric Propulsion Engineer, Mechanical (Starshield)

ELECTRIC PROPULSION ENGINEER, MECHANICAL (STARSHIELD) 

Starshield leverages SpaceX's Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads. 
 
SpaceX is hiring an Electric Propulsion Engineer to join a collaborative engineering team working on design, analysis, build, and test of flight-qualified satellite electric propulsion systems for in-space constellations. In this role you will contribute end-to-end hardware ownership—from design through production support and qualification—for propulsion systems that must meet demanding flight reliability requirements through iterative design, test, and refinement.

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Design, analyze, test, and provide operational support for high-volume production spacecraft electric propulsion hardware 
• Partner with manufacturing to ensure designs enable efficient, reliable, high-rate production 
• Design, build, modify, operate, and troubleshoot electric propulsion test facilities, including vacuum chambers, pressure systems, cryogenic pumps, data acquisition and control systems, and associated instrumentation 
• Analyze and review test data with numerical tools to confirm hardware is operating as expected and inform design decisions 
• Lead root-cause investigations and component redesigns to improve reliability and/or production rates 
• Develop and execute qualification test plans for flight readiness (vibration, shock, thermal cycle, life cycle, fault injection) 
• Make rigorous, risk-informed trades across cost, lead time, reliability, and performance to meet program reliability targets for mission-critical flight hardware 
• Own critical spaceflight hardware end-to-end, with support from manufacturing, reliability, test, and operations teams 
• Work as an integrated team, with daily interactions among technicians, engineers, and managers; identify and implement design and process improvements 
• Communicate clearly under ambiguity, escalate technical and schedule risks early, and collaborate through disagreement 

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, physics, or other engineering discipline 
• 3+ years of total experience in one or a combination of the following: professional experience designing, testing, and analyzing electric propulsion systems; or related spacecraft propulsion, fluid, pressure, plasma, or thruster-adjacent hardware experience (e.g., thermal, structural, power, or diagnostics for EP/plasma systems) 

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• Demonstrated delivery of hardware for high-reliability or safety-critical use 
• Working knowledge of structural design, materials properties, thermodynamics, fluid/pressure/vacuum systems, and numerical analysis programming (e.g., Python, MATLAB); plasma physics as applicable (depth in several of these areas is valued; mastery of all is not expected) 
• Experience prioritizing concurrent design, build, and test work against flight and production milestones 
• Clear documentation habits and attention to detail appropriate for flight hardware 
• Track record of improving designs and processes for reliability, rate, or quality 
• Active Top Secret or Top Secret/SCI clearance, or ability and willingness to obtain a Top Secret clearance, is desired but not required 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• An active clearance may provide the opportunity to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; if so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing 
• Ability to perform essential job duties that may include working in and around vacuum chambers—standing, kneeling, crouching, twisting the upper body, working in cramped positions in small openings, and climbing hand-over-hand. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role 
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time 
• This role is fully on-site to support hands-on test facility and hardware work

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 2: $120,000.00 - $170,000.00

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.

Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.