--- title: 'Build Supervisor (Starship Mechanisms) at SpaceX' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/build-supervisor-starship-mechanisms-spacex-hawthorne-g119hm036v9x' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-15' --- # Build Supervisor (Starship Mechanisms) at SpaceX - **Company:** SpaceX - **Location:** Hawthorne, CA - **Posted:** 2026-06-09 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-15 - **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8582829002?gh_jid=8582829002 ## 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. ## BUILD SUPERVISOR (STARSHIP MECHANISMS) The Hawthorne Starship Mechanisms team is responsible for building, welding, and assembling mechanisms and subassemblies for the world’s most powerful rocket. The supervisor of this team will guide a team of technicians and welders to build out a growing work center, drive high quality and safety standards, grow welding expertise, generate creative solutions to overcome issues, and spearhead a production schedule to keep downstream integration areas fed at increasing launch rates. The supervisor is not only responsible for driving progress on hour-by-hour and day-by-day basis, but also establishing a productive, motivational, and hard-working culture on the shop floor. ## RESPONSIBILITIES: - Oversee two shifts of Starship’s main sheet metal and assembly build center producing large stainless-steel structures for use on orbital and interplanetary variants of the rocket’s stages - Recruit, retain, and lead a diverse and productive team of ~30 welders and technicians including all performance management related tasks - Foster a collaborative, productive, safe, and fun work environment - Monitor labor hours and overtime; implement improvement plans - Identify training needs, and develop training programs - Report on efficiency and utilization metrics to continually improve the output of the workforce - Report on quality metrics. and play a leading role in finding and fixing the root cause of workmanship issues - Implement machine maintenance schedules and back-up spares availability to ensure uptime and output performance - Effectively organize, assign and track work/deliverables for the team by ensuring seamless progression through multi-shift work schedules - Maintain tooling and consumable supply inventory - Improve area safety and efficiency through regular auditing and continuous improvement ## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: - High school diploma or equivalency certificate - 2+ years of experience in a leadership position - Bachelor's degree or 5+ years of experience in assembly or production, in aviation, aerospace, or military ## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: - Experience welding in GTAW, GMAW, or laser welding - Knowledge of AWS D1.1, D1.6, D17.1, and D1.2 - Experience with applying lean manufacturing principles, efficiency methods - 10+ years of experience in final assembly and production in a fast-paced aerospace manufacturing environment - Experience bringing teams and processes from development to production - Familiarity with Design for Manufacturability, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and failure mode effects analysis - Ability to effectively communicate (verbal and written) with engineering and production - Able to adapt to constant changing work assignments and fast paced work environment - Excellent attention to detail with outstanding work efficiency and accuracy - Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline ## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: - Must be able to stand for extended periods – 8 hours min - Must be able to work extended hours and weekends as needed - Must be able to travel for short and extended trips as needed, up to 5% - Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg ## COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Pay range: Build Supervisor: $110,000.00 - $140,000.00/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 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. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law. ## 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. 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