Manufacturing Engineer, Machining (Starship)

SpaceX • Hawthorne, CA

4h • $100,000 - $160,000

About The Position

SpaceX is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer for its Starship machining work. The engineer will own the relationship between engineering and production, provide input into hardware design and development, and lead manufacturing and integration activities for current and next-generation vehicles. The role focuses on developing in-house machining capabilities for Starship components and delivering high-quality precision parts to factory assembly areas.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or physics.
• At least 1 year of machine shop experience.
• Available to work long hours and weekends as needed.
• Comfortable stooping, bending, and standing.
• Able to lift or carry up to 25 pounds unassisted for 1–2 hours per day.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree.
• Experience setting up and operating state-of-the-art machining equipment.
• Strong knowledge of standard machine shop manufacturing processes and setups.
• Experience operating CNCs, conventional lathe and mill machines, and other machine shop equipment used to manufacture high-precision parts.
• Demonstrated proficiency in CNC programming for lathes and mills.
• Strong knowledge of GD&T and inspection procedures.
• Extensive experience with precision conventional and advanced metrology systems, including photogrammetry, CMMs, and 3D imaging.

Responsibilities

• Develop in-house machining capability for the Starship components team and deliver high-quality precision piece parts to factory assembly areas.
• Analyze piece parts and assemblies for design for manufacturability (DFM), ensuring they are optimized for manufacturing, assembly, and testing.
• Maintain close feedback with downstream operations to ensure product success and implement rapid iterations.
• Review quality concerns from piece-part inspection and sign off on out-of-tolerance conditions after investigating the parts’ use case, assembly, and testing.
• Identify, recommend, procure, and install machine shop equipment, and ensure equipment is maintained and calibrated.
• Lead cost optimization and cost reduction initiatives associated with fabrication and processes.
• Develop, evaluate, and improve manufacturing and fabrication methodologies and techniques.
• Recommend and implement improvements or modifications to operation sequences and equipment utilization.
• Collaborate with other SpaceX machine shop facilities to share capabilities and develop resources to address capacity and scheduling issues.

Benefits

• Potential eligibility for long-term incentives in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards.
• Potential discretionary bonuses.
• Ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an 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.
• Various discounts and perks.
• Accrual of 3 weeks of paid vacation.
• Eligibility for 10 or more paid holidays per year.
• Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level