Principal Propulsion Engineer

PRINCIPAL STARSHIP ENGINEER

RESPONSIBILTIES:

• Close architectural trades by leading and arbitrating interdisciplinary trades
• Responsible for reporting program status and risks at a regular cadence internally and externally
• Set a scrappy, positive, and hardware-rich culture within the team with a sense of urgency towards making us a space-faring civilization
• Hire and mentor individual contributors and people leaders within the Starship team
• Capture and distill customer mission requirements from a variety of external stakeholders into actionable development objectives and verification plans
• Develop system requirements and interface control documents based on trade study results
• Lead reviews with customers and ensure that technical contract deliverables are delivered on time and per the customer’s expectation

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering with a minimum of 5+ years of industry experience
• 7+ years of experience leading teams to produce engineering products

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in aerospace engineering or relevant engineering discipline
• Professional experience working with launch vehicles, space vehicles, command and control systems, and/or ground/space sensor systems
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with direct experience negotiating technical deliverables or scope
• Significant experience leading cross-functional teams and working with external customers and systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA) representatives
• Significant experience leading and performing quantitative system of systems architecture trades and development
• 7+ years of experience working with government or commercial spacecraft entities
• Highly detail oriented, diligent, and hardworking
• Passion for advancing the commercial space industry
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, autonomously driven, and demanding start-up atmosphere

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be available to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to support critical milestones or operations shifts
• Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg
• Must be willing to travel to other SpaceX offices and customer locations as needed, up to 25%

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range: Principal Propulsion Engineer: $165,000.00 - $230,000.00/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.

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. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.

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.