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.
BUILD ENGINEER, HITL (STARSHIELD)
Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.
As a Build Engineer focused on hardware-in-the-loop testing, you will own the relationship between the engineering development, software development and production teams. You will develop familiarity with electrical, software and mechanical fundamentals and master bringing stakeholders from these disciplines together to create a system responsible for enabling testing and continuous deployment of software to on-orbit satellites. You should have strong technical and interpersonal skills and you enjoy thriving in a creative, scrappy, fast paced and collaborative environment in which the best ideas change company level direction on a regular basis.
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RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead the assembly and integration of satellite and sub-assembly hardware-in-the-loop testbeds, test racks and related ground support equipment
- Develop novel manufacturing techniques and designs to improve the speed of development asset creation, and modification of production assets into testing assets later in the product lifecycle
- Prepare engineering documentation necessary for building, assembling and testing hardware-in-the-loop simulation assets and ground support equipment including assembly procedures, test procedures, standard operating procedures, schematic diagrams, bills of materials, suitable alternate parts lists and mechanical drawings
- Provide operational support for maintaining, troubleshooting and repairing existing development assets, as they are critical for testing flight software before it can be deployed
- Actively engage with technicians in a hands-on fashion to facilitate and improve production processes
- Devise and execute improvements to enhance production efficiency and quality
- Create, maintain, and communicate detailed plans and schedules
- Develop supply chain for new product and actively work with vendors
- Understand, analyze and resolve manufacturing discrepancies while interfacing with key stakeholders
- Tooling design and validation
- Design wiring harness assemblies and work with external vendors and internal technician teams to build harnesses for development and testing purposes
- Perform training of production personnel and leadership
- Lead continuous improvement efforts of established product
- Resolve non-conformances and work with external reliability stakeholders to identify root cause
- Develop and execute tests for subscale and vehicle level testing
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
- 2+ years of manufacturing, fabrication, assembly or testing experience (internship or project team experience can supplement for industry experience)
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master's degree in an engineering discipline
- Experience with spacecraft or aircraft avionics assemblies and testing
- Experience with process development, facility and line layouts
- Experience with NX and Teamcenter CAD and PDM systems
- Experience with test automation, particularly using Python, or familiarity with microcontroller programming, like Arduino
- Familiarity with wiring harness design, manufacturing and troubleshooting
- Familiarity with basic electrical debugging tools, including multimeters, oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers
- Ability to create and deliver presentations for design and test readiness reviews
- Experience working in fast-paced iterative design environments
- Demonstrated ability to work in a highly cross-functional role
- Knowledge of a variety of manufacturing techniques, equipment, and processes
- Active Top Secret or Top Secret SCI clearance or willingness to pursue one is preferred. Note that an active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions. If so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Travel to vendors and SpaceX launch/test sites as needed
- Intermittently able to work longer hours and weekends to support critical needs
- Note that an active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions. If so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay range:
Build Engineer/Level I: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00/per year
Build Engineer/Level II: $115,000.00 - $135,000.00/per year
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $15,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
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.