---
title: 'Automation & Controls Specialist (Starship) - Night Shift at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/automation-controls-specialist-starship-night-shift-spacex-cape-canaveral-tyw0txrkx6s9'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-15'
---

# Automation & Controls Specialist (Starship) - Night Shift at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Cape Canaveral, FL
- **Posted:** 2026-07-28
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-15
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8652982002?gh_jid=8652982002

## Job 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.

AUTOMATION & CONTROLS SPECIALIST (STARSHIP) - Night Shift

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket (collectively referred to as Starship) represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Starship will be the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the ability to carry in excess of 100 metric tons to Earth orbit.

The Launch Hardware Automation & Controls Specialist role will be hands-on in designing and activating the systems that build and launch Starship. The successful applicant will work as part of a team of elite engineers designing and improving the electrical and control systems across our rocket launch facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Provide innovative solutions to special requirements and challenges faced by the team, which can range from integrating specialized equipment to challenging operating environment, packaging or loading.
- Execute the integration and activation testing of new equipment.
- Manage electrical cabinet builds, field wiring, pneumatic, and fluid plumbing.
- Experience with authoring detailed manufacturing planning work orders.
- Provide hands-on troubleshooting support for a variety of active and critical ground support equipment tooling.
- Write robust and scalable procedures to activate technicians to quickly and reliably build and commission control systems.
- Lay out new industrial electrical control panels that are NFPA79/NEC/UL508A compliant and create electrical, pneumatic, and fluid schematics.
- Participate in the design and development of new and existing control systems critical to the launch organization.
- Architect, write, and debug PLC code, emphasizing generating organized, structured, documented, maintainable, and reusable code for manufacturing applications.

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
- 3+ years of experience in a controls technician, controls specialist, or engineering role.

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or technology field.
- Occupational trade school qualification in an instrumentation or electrical-based field
- Knowledge of NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code), NFPA 70E (Standard for Electrical Safety), NFPA 79 & UL508A codes.
- Excellent communication skills—both written and verbal.
- Ability to thrive in ambiguity, independently drive project progress, and manage multiple priorities.
- Proven ability to author detailed manufacturing planning work orders in strict compliance with guidelines and procedures.
- Fundamental understanding of engineering principles behind electronic equipment, instrumentation, and commonly used industrial equipment.
- Experience designing and installing instrumentation and control systems in hazardous areas (NFPA 70 Section 500 installations); Class 1, Division 1 and Division 2 environments or IEC equivalence.
- Electrical schematic CAD experience using EPlan.
- PLC programming experience, preferably Siemens TIA Portal.
- First-hand experience with programming and software development.
- Experience with industrial bus protocols such as Modbus, Profinet and EtherNet/IP.
- Exposure to C/C++, Python, and JavaScript.
- Process integration and electromechanical/mechatronic systems experience.
- Able to collaborate with a wide range of people and effectively work in a team in a high-pressure, dynamic environment.

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Must be willing to work weekends and night shifts as needed.
- 2nd shift: 6pm-6am, 4 days a week
- Must be willing to travel to other launch sites in support of operational activities and launches; travel requirement is up to 15%.
- Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral.
- Lifting, standing, climbing, bending, grasping, sitting, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying are generally required to perform the functions of this position.

## 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](https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987).

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.

## About SpaceX

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft while building a global satellite broadband network and AI infrastructure to enable interplanetary life.
- **Entity Type**: Public (Nasdaq: SPCX) – IPO priced at $135/share on June 12, 2026
- **Headquarters**: Starbase, Texas (primary); Hawthorne, California (historical headquarters)
- **Founded**: 2002
- **Founders**: Elon Musk

## Core Business
- **Industries**: Aerospace & Defense, Spaceflight, Satellite Telecommunications, Artificial Intelligence
- **Target Customers**: Government (NASA, U.S. Armed Forces, international agencies), Commercial satellite operators, Broadband consumers (Starlink), Defense/intelligence (Starshield)
- **Mission**: To make humanity multiplanetary by building the integrated hardware and software infrastructure of the future across space, connectivity, and AI.

## Products & Services
- **Falcon 9**: Reusable two-stage rocket – the world’s most launched orbital rocket, with over 630 successful first-stage reflights.
- **Falcon Heavy**: Heavy-lift launch vehicle composed of three Falcon 9 cores; capable of lifting nearly 64 metric tons to orbit.
- **Starship**: Fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle and spacecraft (largest ever built) designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
- **Dragon 2**: Crew and cargo spacecraft used for NASA Commercial Crew and private missions to the ISS and beyond.
- **Starlink**: Low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation providing high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to over 10.3 million people globally.
- **Starshield**: Military-grade satellite services for national security and defense customers.
- **SpaceXAI**: Division focused on AI compute infrastructure, frontier models, and real-time data processing (including AI compute satellites).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Conflicting reports – Internal share offer in 2025 valued SpaceX at **$800 billion**; IPO pricing (June 2026) implied a market capitalization of approximately **$75 billion** for the shares offered.
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of **$15.0 billion** (2025); total funding raised **$15.2 billion** across 56 rounds.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Google (led $1B Series G), Intesa Sanpaolo, NASA, U.S. Space Force, and numerous institutional investors.
- **Growth Signals**: Employee headcount of **11,387** (monthly growth +2.5%); **1,671 active job postings**; Falcon 9 launch cadence of 1–3 per week; Starlink subscriber base covering ~10.3 million people; recent acquisition of xAI (February 2026).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Full reusability**: Only company with a fleet of reusable orbital rockets (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy), dramatically lowering per-launch cost.
- **Vertical integration**: Designs, manufactures, and operates its own rockets, spacecraft, satellite constellation, and AI platform – enabling rapid iteration and cost control.
- **Scale and reliability**: More orbital launches per year than any other provider (public or private); proven track record with NASA and DoD.
- **First-mover in commercial spaceflight**: Established crew transport, satellite internet, and now AI compute in orbit.

## Strategic Focus
- **Starship development**: Complete testing and operational deployment of the fully reusable Starship system for lunar (Artemis) and Mars missions.
- **Starlink expansion**: Grow subscriber base, launch V3 satellites, and extend mobile and direct-to-cell services.
- **AI integration**: Leverage SpaceXAI for on-orbit compute and real-time data analytics; build AI compute satellites.
- **Interplanetary infrastructure**: Develop technologies for sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Employees directly contribute to making life multiplanetary – “hard work and innovative solutions result in big gains.”
- **Impactful projects**: Work on reusable rockets, crewed spacecraft, global broadband, and AI systems that are actively changing the space industry.
- **Compensation**: Competitive salaries, comprehensive health benefits, and equity packages.
- **Work locations**: Primary campuses in Hawthorne, CA and Starbase, TX (with additional sites in Cape Canaveral, FL and Vandenberg, CA). Roles span engineering, software, manufacturing, and support.
- **Engineering culture**: Merit-based, fast-paced, with high ownership; top talent sourced from Tesla, Boeing, NASA JPL, and other aerospace leaders.
- **Open roles**: Over 1,600 active positions across software, AI, avionics, propulsion, supply chain, and more – including internships.

## Sources
1. [SpaceX Careers Page](https://www.spacex.com/careers)
2. [LinkedIn – SpaceX Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/spacex)
3. [SpaceX IPO Factsheet (PDF)](https://content.spacex.com/cms-assets/FINAL_Documents%20and%20Updates/SpaceX%20IPO_Factsheet.pdf)
4. [SpaceX IPO Pricing Press Release](https://ir.spacex.com/updates/releases-details/2026/Space-Exploration-Technologies-Corp--Announces-Pricing-of-Initial-Public-Offering/default.aspx)
5. [SpaceX Jobs Board (Greenhouse)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacex)

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