Mechanical Engineer, Flight Termination System (Starship)

SpaceX • Hawthorne, CA

310d • $95,000 - $130,000

About The Position

As a member of the Flight Termination System team, you will have the exciting opportunity to be responsible for the design of the Starship Flight Termination System hardware and explosives! You will demonstrate extreme ownership through deep understanding of the functionality, design, and requirements from concept to delivery of hardware. You will have ownership over the entire development process of Flight Termination System hardware including hardware design, analysis, production facility layout, electromechanical assembly, live ordnance assembly, environmental testing, and vehicle integration. As an extreme owner you will be responsible for interfacing with regulatory partners to implement, tailor, and challenge space industry regulatory requirements to achieve the best outcomes. Our development timelines are aggressive and the Flight Termination System is one of the few safety critical systems on the vehicle. The hardware that makes up the FTS requires extremely high levels of rigor and you will solve very challenging problems at the intersection of safety critical hardware and high explosives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
• 1+ years of experience in mechanical design and/or hands-on manufacturing.

Nice To Haves

• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.
• 1+ years of experience designing and analyzing mechanical systems.
• Experience with LSDYNA/ANSYS, BlastX, CHEETA, and/or Hydrocode.
• Master's degree or 1+ years of professional experience in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
• Experience designing, building, testing and troubleshooting mechanical systems.
• Strong project management skills and effective communication of technical concepts.
• Hands-on experience with high voltage, electronics, or explosives.
• Leadership experience on a project or research team.
• Experience using test instrumentation and control components.
• Knowledge of electro-mechanical devices, actuators, motors, or explosives.
• Understanding of fundamental principles of explosives, solid mechanics, and dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Develop state-of-the-art, manufacturable explosive devices and robust hardware integration designs for the Starship and Super Heavy stage Flight Termination System.
• Question requirements, delete parts and processes, simplify/optimize, accelerate, and automate component deliveries.
• Validate reliability of hardware and designs with rigorous testing in shock, vibration, thermal cycling, climatic and live fire testing.
• 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.
• Generate and maintain detailed drawings, component specifications, analysis and risk assessments.
• Spearhead root cause investigations that arise in development, production, test, integration and launch.
• Set the standard for highly reliable component design and qualification testing to strict regulatory standards.
• Achieve zero in-flight anomalies of flight termination system components.
• Act as the chief engineer, collaborating with stage, avionics, and flight safety teams.

Benefits

• Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX.
• Eligibility for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards.
• Potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• 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.
• Accrual of 3 weeks of paid vacation.
• Eligibility for 10 or more paid holidays per year.
• 5 days of sick leave per year.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree