{"id":3372965,"url":"https://alion.io/job/spacex-mechanical-engineer-starship-tooling","title":"Mechanical Engineer, Starship Tooling","company":{"id":66,"name":"SpaceX","domain":"spacex.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/spacex","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":81,"open_postings":53,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.547,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":78,"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"junior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Cape Canaveral, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":80000,"max_usd":144000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":4343},"experience_years_min":1,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Abaqus","optional":false},{"name":"ANSYS","optional":false},{"name":"CATIA","optional":false},{"name":"Femap","optional":false},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-27T22:21:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-27","last_verified_at":"2026-11-02T18:15:58Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":6,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":6},"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.\nMECHANICAL ENGINEER, STARSHIP TOOLING\nAs a member of the Starship Tooling team at Cape Canaveral, you will work with a group of engineers across multiple disciplines to design, build, and activate the launch pad hardware, recovery systems, and production tooling that launch and catch the most powerful rocket in the world.\nThis team sits at the intersection of two disciplines. The first is structural design: large welded steel structures, heavy plates, load paths, and bolted and welded connections that react hundreds of thousands of pounds. The second is machine design: hold-downs, sliders, and actuated mechanisms with precise pin fits, bearings, and kinematics that must work the first time and every time. The hardware is big, the loads are high, and the schedule is short. You will own your hardware end to end, from the first hand calculation and NX model through fabrication planning with our internal welding and toolmaking teams, build, and activation testing. \nRESPONSIBILITIES:\nDesign, analyze, build, and activate mechanical hardware for Starship launch pads, recovery systems, and production tooling, spanning large welded steel structures and precision mechanisms such as hold-downs, sliders, and actuated systems\nDemonstrate complete end-to-end project ownership: define requirements, develop the concept, size it with hand calculations and analysis, release detailed models and prints, plan fabrication, lead the build, execute activation testing, and hand over to launch operations\nPerform engineering hand calculations and finite element analysis to size structures and mechanisms, including statics and load paths, weld and bolted joint sizing, fatigue, kinematics, pin and bearing fits, and tolerance stacks\nDesign mass-efficient welded steel structures and define clear load paths for hardware that reacts very high static and dynamic loads\nDesign, prototype, and test mechanisms with precise fits and kinematics; specify GD&T that controls the features that matter\nCreate detailed models and engineering prints in NX and manage large assembly models\nCreate manufacturing planning for scope performed by internal welding, machining, and toolmaking teams, and manage outside fabricators and suppliers where needed\nSupport hardware activation with the controls engineering team and perform development and acceptance testing with production and launch operations teams\nLead in-field troubleshooting: safe the system when hardware behaves unexpectedly, then lead root-cause analysis and corrective action\nWork closely with launch operations teams and their leadership to ensure the products we deliver meet form, function, and aesthetic expectations\nMake development decisions based on cost and schedule considerations and present cost and schedule trade proposals to leadership\nWork hands-on alongside technicians, welders, and machinists when needed to get hardware built, installed, and activated on time\nBASIC QUALIFICATIONS:\nBachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline\n1+ years of professional experience using NX, CATIA, Creo, or SolidWorks design software package or ANSYS, ABAQUS, or FEMAP software (internship and project experience applies)\nPREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:\n1+ years of experience in a professional setting designing, analyzing, or building mechanical structures\nDemonstrated proficiency in both structural design (plates, weldments, load paths, bolted and welded connections) and machine design (mechanisms, kinematics, precision fits, bearings, actuators)\nStrong fundamentals in statics, dynamics, and mechanics of materials, and the ability to apply them quickly and correctly in hand calculations\nExperience designing and fabricating mass-efficient welded structures\nExperience designing and testing mechanisms\nExperience with finite element analysis\nExperience with large-scale hardware (launch or ground support equipment, heavy industrial equipment, cranes and lifting, shipbuilding, or heavy machinery) and the loads, materials, and fabrication methods that come with it\nExperience working in a production facility or on a build site with equipment and machinery, including hands-on fabrication, build, and activation\nExperience managing large CAD assembly models and drawings; experience with NX\nStrong understanding and demonstrated application of GD&T\nSkilled in reading and interpreting engineering drawings, parts lists, and specifications\nMaster’s degree in mechanical engineering\nProject management experience in the aerospace, industrial, or power generation industry\nAbility to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment including daily interactions with technicians, engineers, suppliers, and leadership\nAbility to prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic environment\nPassion for hands-on work when needed to enable project completion\nProactive, self-starter attitude and ability to lead projects throughout their entirety\nADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:\nAbility to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral\nAbility to work extended hours and weekends as necessary\nWilling to travel to other SpaceX locations as necessary\nWork schedule may vary depending on site operational needs, and flexibility is required\nLifting, standing, climbing, bending, grasping, sitting, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying are generally required to perform the functions of this position\nITAR REQUIREMENTS:\nTo 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. \nSpaceX 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.\nApplicants 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 .","description_format":"text","description_chars":6685,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":1,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Satellite Communications","Launch Services","Satellite Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-28T01:39:54Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":63,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.632,"p_room":1,"age_days":5,"expected_fill_days":78,"reasons":["conf:0","stale_co","velocity","win:early","comp:junior,brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacex-mechanical-engineer-starship-tooling","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacex-mechanical-engineer-starship-tooling.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-02T22:30:54Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":31574,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":66},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=66"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fspacex-mechanical-engineer-starship-tooling"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fspacex-mechanical-engineer-starship-tooling"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fspacex-mechanical-engineer-starship-tooling"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/spacex-mechanical-engineer-starship-tooling\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fspacex-mechanical-engineer-starship-tooling"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3372965}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"spacex.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3372965},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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