Mechanical Engineer, Starship Tooling

SpaceX•Cape Canaveral, FL

16h•Onsite

About The Position

As a member of the Starship Tooling team at Cape Canaveral, the Mechanical Engineer works with engineers across multiple disciplines to design, build, and activate launch pad hardware, recovery systems, and production tooling for Starship. The work combines structural design of large welded steel structures and heavy-load connections with machine design of precise mechanisms such as hold-downs, sliders, and actuated systems. The engineer owns hardware from initial hand calculations and NX modeling through fabrication planning, construction, activation testing, and handoff to launch operations. The role involves close collaboration with internal welding, machining, and toolmaking teams, outside fabricators and suppliers, controls engineers, technicians, and launch operations. The work is hands-on and performed in a fast-paced environment with high loads and short schedules.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
At least 1 year of professional experience using NX, CATIA, Creo, or SolidWorks, or ANSYS, ABAQUS, or FEMAP; internship and project experience applies.
Ability to pass an Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral.
Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary.
Willingness to travel to other SpaceX locations as necessary.
Flexibility to work varying schedules depending on site operational needs.
Ability to meet the physical demands generally required for the role, including lifting, standing, climbing, bending, grasping, sitting, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying.
Must meet U.S. export-control eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or be eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Nice To Haves

At least 1 year of professional experience designing, analyzing, or building mechanical structures.
Demonstrated proficiency in both structural design (plates, weldments, load paths, bolted and welded connections) and machine design (mechanisms, kinematics, precision fits, bearings, actuators).
Strong fundamentals in statics, dynamics, and mechanics of materials, with the ability to apply them quickly and correctly in hand calculations.
Experience designing and fabricating mass-efficient welded structures.
Experience designing and testing mechanisms.
Experience with finite element analysis.
Experience with large-scale hardware such as launch or ground support equipment, heavy industrial equipment, cranes and lifting equipment, shipbuilding, or heavy machinery.
Experience working in a production facility or build site with equipment and machinery, including hands-on fabrication, build, and activation.
Experience managing large CAD assembly models and drawings; experience with NX.
Strong understanding and demonstrated application of GD&T.
Skill in reading and interpreting engineering drawings, parts lists, and specifications.
Master’s degree in mechanical engineering.
Project management experience in the aerospace, industrial, or power generation industry.
Ability to work well in an integrated, collaborative team environment with daily interactions with technicians, engineers, suppliers, and leadership.
Ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Passion for hands-on work when needed to enable project completion.
Proactive, self-starting attitude and ability to lead projects throughout their entirety.

Responsibilities

Design, analyze, build, and activate mechanical hardware for Starship launch pads, recovery systems, and production tooling.
Own projects end to end: define requirements, develop concepts, size hardware through calculations and analysis, release models and prints, plan fabrication, lead the build, conduct activation testing, and hand off hardware to launch operations.
Perform engineering hand calculations and finite element analysis, including statics, load paths, joint sizing, fatigue, kinematics, pin and bearing fits, and tolerance stacks.
Design mass-efficient welded steel structures and define load paths for hardware that reacts high static and dynamic loads.
Design, prototype, and test mechanisms with precise fits and kinematics, and specify GD&T for critical features.
Create detailed models and engineering prints in NX and manage large assembly models.
Plan manufacturing for work performed by internal welding, machining, and toolmaking teams, and manage outside fabricators and suppliers as needed.
Support hardware activation with controls engineering and conduct development and acceptance testing with production and launch operations teams.
Lead in-field troubleshooting, make the system safe when hardware behaves unexpectedly, and lead root-cause analysis and corrective action.
Work with launch operations teams and leadership to ensure delivered products meet form, function, and aesthetic expectations.
Make development decisions considering cost and schedule, and present cost and schedule trade proposals to leadership.
Work hands-on with technicians, welders, and machinists as needed to build, install, and activate hardware on time.