Mechanical Design Engineer, Production (Starlink)

As a member of the Starlink Production Design team you will design the factory of the future, enabling mass production of satellites, ground stations, and high-performance space hardware that has never been produced in volume. You will design custom tooling and machinery for production processes that range from manual to highly automated. You will use your expertise in mechanical engineering to design, analyze, fabricate, qualify, and commission structures, mechanism and automation equipment, optimizing for pace of execution and net impact to SpaceX. You will personally own high impact projects and drive them from concept to completion on a time scale measured in months, not years.

• →Design and develop structures, mechanisms and automation equipment to enable high volume production of Starlink Satellites
• →Demonstrate extreme ownership of projects through their entire lifecycle, from initial concept generation through fabrication and production bring-up
• →Balance simultaneous projects of varying scope and complexity in a fast-paced environment
• →Partner with flight design and production teams to develop the satellite, factory and production processes in parallel
• →Solve complex, open-ended problems with an emphasis on speed of execution and efficiency
• →Hone your organizational skills as you coordinate with internal SpaceX resources and external vendors and maintain a project schedule and budget
• →Assemble and commission the equipment you design

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
• +1 year of experience designing mechanical systems using 3D CAD software and 2D drawings

• Prior work experience with structural design and analysis
• Experience with custom machine design; electromechanical systems, motors, actuators, linear rails, bearings, lifting/rigging, etc. 
• Ability to perform structures hand calculations
• Strong expertise in design for manufacturability and design for assembly including experience taking products from development to high-volume production
• Familiarity with drafting standards and the application of GD&T
• Solid understanding of common manufacturing processes and machines including mills, lathes, manual and CNC, and hands-on machining experience
• Experience with Siemens Unigraphics (UGS/NX) and Teamcenter CAD/PDM systems
• Experience with finite element analysis, such as FEMAP pre/post processing, NASTRAN Solver, ANSYS Workbench, NX Advance Simulation
• Experience with manufacturing process development, facility and line layouts, process failure mode effects analysis, and error proofing

• Must be available to work extended hours and weekends as needed

• 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.