Mission Integration Engineer, Special Programs

SpaceX•Hawthorne, CA

8d•$110,000 - $160,000•Onsite

About The Position

As a member of our Mission Management team, you will own the integration of customer payloads onto the SpaceX payload platform from requirements definition through integrated test, flight, and on-orbit operations. You will work closely with technical disciplines across SpaceX, such as vehicle engineering, structures, avionics, thermal, software, flight reliability, and launch and space operations to close the payload-to-platform interface and to verify the mission can be flown safely. You will be the owner of the payload-to-platform interface: mechanical, electrical, data, and thermal, plus the static, dynamic, thermal, and electromagnetic environments for launch, on-orbit, and re-entry. You will write and maintain interface control documentation, allocate and verify requirements, run interface trades, and drive non-compliances to a technical disposition (redesign, waiver, or operational constraint). You will plan and execute integration and test, including mate/demate, interface checkout, and end-to-end mission timeline verification. The work is mission and interface engineering applied to an externally built space vehicle on a SpaceX host. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who is hungry to do work that matters, and is a quick-learner.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or STEM discipline
Ability to obtain a Top Secret SCI clearance
Experience applying systems engineering methods (requirements, interfaces, verification, or integration and test)
Excellent verbal and written technical communication skills

Nice To Haves

Active Top Secret, Top Secret SCI, or DOE Level Q clearance
1+ years of spacecraft, launch vehicle, or payload integration / systems engineering experience
Master’s degree in an engineering discipline
Hands-on experience with ICD development, requirements verification, or integrated test
Familiarity with launch and on-orbit environments (coupled loads, shock, vibe, thermal vacuum, EMI/EMC)
Familiarity with USG processes and systems
Ability to close technical trades across multiple engineering organizations under schedule pressure
Ability to quickly adapt and change course in a fast-paced environment

Responsibilities

Own the payload-to-platform ICD: define, baseline, and configuration-control mechanical, electrical, data, and thermal interfaces
Allocate customer and vehicle requirements to the interface; maintain traceability through analysis, test, and inspection
Evaluate payload design against platform constraints and environments (static, dynamic, thermal, electromagnetic) for launch, on-orbit, and re-entry
Lead interface trades (mass, volume, keep-out, loads, power, thermal, EMI/EMC, timeline) and document the technical basis
Disposition interface non-compliances with engineering: waiver, redesign, or operational constraint, including work-around plans where required
Define and support integrated test: interface checkout, EGSE, mate/demate, environmental test correlation, and end-to-end mission timeline
Build and maintain the integrated mission CONOPs (on-orbit operations) with payload, vehicle, and operations teams
Identify technical risk at the payload–platform boundary, including Do No Harm to the vehicle and to co-manifested payloads; drive mitigations to closure
Support design reviews, test readiness, and flight readiness with evidence of interface compliance—not as a customer-facing facilitator, as the responsible engineer for the interface
Communicate interface status, open items, and technical decisions to payload providers and internal engineering teams