Design Engineer, Turbomachinery (Starship)

spacex

Starbase, TX
full-time mid
Posted about 2 months ago
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Summary

Generated 13 days ago

Role Overview

This role is responsible for the mechanical and structural design of turbomachinery components and assemblies for SpaceX's Starship propulsion systems. The engineer will create detailed 3D models, conduct structural analysis, and oversee manufacturing and assembly to ensure reliable performance under extreme conditions.

Key Responsibilities

Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to drive rapid development and execution of Starship propulsion system turbomachinery designs.
Design, build, and test turbopumps for Starship, a cutting-edge orbital vehicle propulsion system.
Perform component-level and assembled structural analysis, including thermal deformation for stack-up analysis.
Develop and train teammates to foster empowered product ownership through risk-conscious decision-making.
Interface with the production team to ensure successful translation of designs into operational rockets.
Maintain a positive and constructive attitude when facing technical and non-technical challenges.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
2+ years of professional experience in mechanical design and structural analysis.
Professional experience with 3D CAD modeling, GD&T, and manufacturing processes.
Master's degree in an engineering discipline (preferred).
Experience with ANSYS for structural analysis, including nonlinear FEA and fracture analysis (preferred).

Expected Impact

The expected impact of this job is to design and deliver reliable, high-performance turbomachinery components that are critical for the success of Starship's propulsion systems, ultimately enabling humanity's future on Mars.

Why Apply

Be at the forefront of revolutionary space technology and contribute to humanity's expansion to Mars.
Take full ownership of the design for critical turbomachinery components on the Starship program.
Work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with a world-class team dedicated to ambitious goals.
This summary was generated from the original job posting (AI-assisted, human-reviewed). For full details, visit the company's site.

Original Job Description

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

DESIGN ENGINEER, TURBOMACHINERY (STARSHIP)

This role is responsible for the overall mechanical and structural design of turbomachinery components and assemblies for Starship propulsion systems.  The turbomachinery designer will create detailed 3D models and conduct structural analysis to ensure all components perform reliably under extreme operating conditions. Responsibilities include modeling turbomachinery components, executing detailed mechanical designs with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), conducting structural analysis, and driving the manufacturing and assembly process. As the turbomachinery design engineer, you will have full ownership of the design for turbomachinery components on Starship!

 RESPONSIBILITIES: 

  • Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of turbomachinery and manufacturing engineers, driving the rapid development and execution of designs for Starship's propulsion system turbomachinery
  • Design, build, and test turbopumps for Starship, the most advanced orbital vehicle propulsion system ever designed
  • Perform structural analysis on the components level and as assembled - this includes thermal deformation required for stack-up analysis during all phases of the operation
  • Develop and train teammates to support empowered product ownership by utilizing risk-conscious decision-making skills under pressure
  • Interface with our world-class production team to ensure that your team’s designs are successfully translated into the fleet of rockets that is revolutionizing access to space
  • Maintain a positive and constructive attitude in the face of technical and non-technical challenges

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
  • 2+ years of professional experience in mechanical design and structural analysis
  • Professional experience with 3D CAD modeling, GD&T, manufacturing process and machine setup

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Master’s degree in an engineering discipline
  • Experience in a highly technical position that required a scrappy, entrepreneurial manner to enthusiastically accomplish tasks with tight time or budget constraints
  • 2+ years of experience in structural analysis with ANSYS package. Professional experience in ruing nonlinear FEA and fracture analysis is a plus
  • Understanding of engineering fundamentals and the ability to perform basic analysis
  • Strong desire to mentor and grow employees
  • Good understanding of thermodynamics, compressible and incompressible flow, thermochemistry mechanics, structural design in demanding environments, and/or materials

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed to resolve critical technical or timing issues
  • Ability to perform hands-on work in all environments (heat, cold, rain), in tight quarters or at heights
  • Ability to work extended hours and weekends as needed; flexibility required
  • Ability to focus while working in hazardous conditions and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

  • To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.  

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com

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Important: This summary was generated from the original job posting (AI-assisted, human-reviewed). For complete details, terms, and application instructions, always visit the company's official website.