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.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, STARSHIP TOWER
The Starship catch tower will redefine ground support systems for launch vehicles as we know them, with the ultimate goal of launching, catching, and relaunching orbital boosters in hours or days instead of weeks or months. The tower the largest steel structure ever built to support a launch vehicle. It must survive the acoustic, thermal, and blast environment of the most powerful rocket in the world at liftoff, absorb the loads of catching a returning booster, and then be ready to do it again within days.
As the Structural Engineer on the Tower team, you will own the structural integrity of these structures from concept through fabrication, erection, activation, and launch operations. You will perform and own the structural design and analysis of primary and secondary steel, connections, anchorage, and foundation interfaces; develop and issue drawings, calculations, and specifications; and lead consulting engineers, fabricators, and construction contractors through engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, and commissioning. You will work hand in hand with the mechanical, mechanisms, fluids, and analysis engineers on the team to ensure the structure meets requirements for both the design and the manufacturing and integration processes. This is a field-facing role: you will be onsite at Cape Canaveral, in the structure, resolving design and construction conflicts in real time alongside welders, ironworkers, riggers, and technicians, and you will be expected to act as a technical advisor and, at times, de facto supervisor to those skilled labor partners.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Own the structural design and analysis of the tower and launch mount primary and secondary steel structures, including members, bolted and welded connections, anchorage, and foundation interfaces, across static, dynamic, thermal, and fatigue load cases spanning fabrication, lift and erection, vehicle stacking, launch, and booster catch
- Perform all calculations necessary for structural steel and reinforced concrete design, and develop and issue drawings, design documentation, specifications, and reports
- Develop load cases and structural design criteria in partnership with the analysis, mechanisms, fluids, and vehicle teams; translate vehicle and operational requirements into structural requirements and verify the design against them
- Lead the project team, consulting engineers, fabricators, and contractors throughout the entirety of the structural engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, and commissioning process
- Write and manage fabrication and construction contracts with subcontractors through contract close-out; own budget and schedule for your scope of work within a multi-disciplinary team
- Develop and review erection, lifting, and rigging engineering for large steel assemblies, including temporary works, lift plans, and structural stability during all stages of construction
- Specify weld joint design, inspection, and non-destructive examination (NDE) requirements; partner with the welding and quality teams to resolve fabrication and assembly discrepancies and disposition nonconformances
- Manage the structural aspects of construction and integration in the field, including quality control, fit-up and tolerance resolution, and coordination of a multi-discipline contractor team
- Provide direct onsite engineering inspections and field observations; resolve design and construction conflicts in the field in real time
- Drive design for manufacturability and constructability changes that reduce build time, cost, and risk for current and next-generation towers
- Lead post-launch structural inspections, damage assessments, repairs, and modifications required to turn the pad around between launches
- Lead and participate in design reviews internally and with suppliers, contractors, and consulting engineers
- Document design standards, processes, and lessons learned, and drive continual improvement to them for future builds
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in civil engineering, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, or another engineering discipline
- 1+ years of experience in structural design, analysis, construction, or drafting (internship, co-op, and competition team experience qualifies)
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- 3+ years of professional experience in the structural design and analysis of steel structures (industrial, heavy civil, offshore, naval, crane and lifting, or aerospace ground support)
- Experience with large steel structure design, fabrication, and construction (civil, naval, offshore, or mechanical)
- Knowledge of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) steel manual, American Concrete Institute (ACI) 318, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 7, International Building Code (IBC), and American Welding Society (AWS) D1.1 Structural Welding Code
- Experience with bolted and welded connection design, fatigue evaluation of welded steel structures, and design for dynamic, transient, and thermal loading
- Experience with SAP 2000, STAAD Pro, RISA-3D, ETABS, or similar structural analysis software
- Experience with finite element analysis (FEA) software packages (ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran, or similar) for detailed stress, fatigue, and dynamic analysis
- Experience creating structural detail drawings in AutoCAD, Revit, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or similar drafting programs; experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter product lifecycle management (PLM) systems
- Experience with lifting, rigging, and erection engineering for heavy steel structures (ASME BTH-1, crane lift planning, temporary works)
- Experience with welding processes, weld inspection, and NDE methods (visual, magnetic particle, ultrasonic, radiographic) and their application to structural steel
- Experience with project management of major construction projects including estimating, cost control, schedule, and contractor management
- Experience with at least three of the following project delivery phases: 1) conceptual layout and high-level trade studies, 2) detailed engineering design and development, 3) request for proposals/quotes and contract issue, 4) supervision of fabrication and construction to completion, 5) punch lists, commissioning, and close-out
- Understanding of other disciplines such as: mechanical, fluids and piping, electrical, geotechnical, and surveying
- Demonstrated experience where quick thinking and tangible problem-solving skills play a critical role
- Demonstrated experience fostering an environment of extremely high personal accountability and responsibility
- Strong ability to use data and analysis to make fast data-driven decisions
- Professional Engineering (PE) or Structural Engineering (SE) license
- Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Flight hardware typically is built in tight quarters and physical dexterity is required
- Ability to work at elevated heights up to 500 feet
- Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral
- Ability to perform job duties that require standing, kneeling, crouching, twisting upper body, working in cramped positions in small openings and climbing hand over hand
- Typically exposed to work in extreme outdoor environments – heat, cold, rain
- Work performed in an environment requiring exposure to fumes, odors, and noise
- Schedule varies depending on site operational needs; flexibility required
- Flexibility to travel to other SpaceX sites (less than 25%)
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.
