Operations Engineer (Starshield)

SpaceX•Hawthorne, CA

5d•$100,000 - $160,000

About The Position

Starshield is a satellite development program focused on Earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads that enable innovation in national security efforts. As the Starshield constellation grows, the Ground Infrastructure team is expanding the ground assets that support it. This role applies operations engineering and data science to strategic planning, resource alignment, and optimization of ground fleet operations. The ideal candidate is self-starting, ready to tackle a broad range of engineering problems, and able to work seamlessly with multidisciplinary teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
At least 1 year of experience using Excel, SQL, or Python/R for analysis or modeling dynamic systems.
Able to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to meet major milestones.
Able to work in extreme outdoor environments when needed, including heat, cold, wind, and rain.
Able to lift 25 lbs. unassisted, climb ladders, and walk the sites supported.
Able to travel; up to 10% of the work week may require travel to other sites.
Applicants must meet the stated U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, refugee, asylee, or export-authorization eligibility requirements under ITAR.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency with statistics, data analysis, cost/benefit analysis, and visualization.
Experience with CAD software, Power BI, and discrete event modeling tools.
Experience with inventory, production, and capacity planning, including MRP/ERP systems.
Experience reading mechanical drawings, electrical one-lines, and OEM manuals, and writing procedures technicians can follow without clarification.
Experience overseeing contractors and vendors.
Practical use of SQL, Power BI, scripting, or AI to reduce clerical work for work orders, project managers, and reports, with judgment about when technician skills are the right solution.
Ability to work effectively in an integrated, collaborative team environment, including frequent interaction with technicians, engineers, and leadership.
Ability to work in fast-paced, high-stress environments.
Excellent written and communication skills.

Responsibilities

Standardize how work is requested, planned, executed, and closed across deployed ground infrastructure; own work orders, work instructions, and work documentation.
Provide engineering support for new infrastructure deployments and repairs to existing assets.
Automate repetitive reliability tasks to reduce the operational burden as infrastructure expands.
Work with internal teams to understand their needs and design technical approaches aligned with their goals.
Build prototypes and proof-of-concept applications that accelerate team progress with Spok/Grok.
Identify electrical, mechanical, civil, and operations engineering issues; determine root causes and develop immediate mitigations and longer-term improvements for deployed ground infrastructure.
Develop and implement dashboards and tools to forecast part demand, consumption, and fleet reliability.
Analyze asset utilization data to inform upgrade or decommission decisions.
Work with software teams to define and implement alerting systems for team assets.

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 other discounts and perks.
Accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation.
Eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.
Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy.
Active clearance differential of 10%, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.