Operations Engineer (Starship)

SpaceX•Starbase, TX, TX

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Join an aggressively paced, results-first engineering team at Starbase. We design, build, activate, and improve the fluid systems that fuel Starship. Development is the job: hardware you design can be made, installed, and tested the same day. From tens of thousands of gallons per minute of cryogen to tens of pounds per second of high-pressure gas, you’ll solve real pad problems every day for a demanding launch and test program.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or physics
1+ years of experience in a production, manufacturing, test, integration, or launch engineering role
1+ years of experience using Excel, SQL, or Python/R for data analysis or project scheduling

Nice To Haves

3+ years of hands-on experience with complex and/or low-margin mechanical, structural, fluid, and electronic systems
Ability to work independently as well as part of a team, take initiative, and communicate effectively
Ability to rapidly change roles/responsibilities while maintaining a high sense of urgency in a high-paced, challenging work environment
Willingness to perform other related duties to ensure an efficient and effective work environment
Experience with quick thinking and problem-solving in stressful situations
Experience solving challenges posed by short deadlines
Creativity to imagine and design for reliability, efficiency, and maintainability from scratch
General hands-on experience with machining, welding, and other fabrication techniques is a plus
Experience with instrumentation, testing, data review and analysis, verification against a model
Experience with high-pressure and cryogenic fluid systems and components
Collaborative team player, eager to find the best solution while balancing cost and schedule
Acute attention to detail, ability to see interactions with other systems to avoid problems
Intermediate skill level using CAD with NX as a plus
Ability to verify designs with simplified hand calculations
Creative and passionate approach to addressing opportunities and challenges, and an enthusiastic, self-motivated, positive can-do attitude
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Experience with data visualization tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent
Experience with discrete event simulation or modeling tools
Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, and other production and process improvement principles
Prior experience in an industrial or operations engineering role
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Proficiency in statistics, data analysis, cost/benefit analysis, and root cause analysis
Advanced Excel skills

Responsibilities

Partner with shop and field fabrication teams to identify operational challenges, key process constraints, and opportunities to reduce work scope or implement process improvements - this role includes full ownership of executing these improvements
Create and maintain software tools and dashboards (Excel, SQL, Python) to empower engineering design teams and scale production of Starship launch infrastructure
Collaborate with cross-functional partners in flight hardware logistics, supply chain, engineering, operations, production, and launch groups to synchronize efforts
Develop and maintain tools to track key performance metrics, perform statistical analysis, and support data-driven decision-making to optimize engineering and production processes
Maintain a tight feedback loop with the launch engineering team and fabrication teams to alter processes and procedures rapidly
Independently evaluate complex problems and arrive at solutions to seemingly impractical problems that best support the program
Hands-on approach to tackling issues with production or engineering team