---
title: 'Mechanical Engineer (Data Center MEP Systems) at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-data-center-mep-systems-spacex-starbase-gmx4an9xcq22'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-13'
---

# Mechanical Engineer (Data Center MEP Systems) at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Starbase, TX
- **Posted:** 2026-07-14
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-13
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8623383002?gh_jid=8623383002

## 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.

## MECHANICAL ENGINEER (DATA CENTER MEP SYSTEMS)

SpaceX is looking for an MEP Engineer with deep mechanical and plumbing expertise to design, specify, and commission the cooling and fluid systems that keep our data center infrastructure running. This role sits at the intersection of critical facilities engineering and the physical plant — you’ll be equally comfortable in a design review and walking a mechanical room during startup.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Design and specify mechanical cooling systems for data center facilities: chilled water plants, CRAH/CRAC units, air handling units, and cooling towers
- Own plumbing system design: domestic water, sanitary, storm drainage, makeup water, and process piping for cooling systems
- Evaluate and specify facility liquid cooling infrastructure (direct-to-chip, rear-door heat exchangers, immersion cooling)
- Perform heat load calculations, airflow modeling, and capacity planning to ensure design requirements are met
- Develop piping design, pump sizing, and hydraulic calculations for chilled water and condenser water loops
- Review and coordinate mechanical/plumbing drawings with architectural, electrical, structural, and fire protection disciplines
- Support commissioning of mechanical systems: functional performance testing, integrated systems testing (IST), and level 5 commissioning for critical cooling infrastructure
- Work directly with equipment vendors (chillers, CRAH units, pumps, cooling towers) on technical specifications and factory witness testing
- Troubleshoot operational issues in existing facilities — water treatment, pump cavitation, control valve failures, capacity shortfalls
- Support due diligence and technical evaluation for new site selection, including utility water availability and existing mechanical infrastructure condition

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
- 5+ years of experience in mechanical/plumbing design for mission-critical facilities, data centers, or comparable industrial environments

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Working knowledge of HVAC and hydronic system design: chilled water plants, cooling towers, air handling systems
- Experience with plumbing system design and code compliance (domestic water, sanitary, storm drainage)
- Ability to read and produce mechanical/plumbing construction documents, P&IDs, and equipment schedules
- Direct data center design or operations experience, ideally at hyperscale or colocation facility scale
- Experience with liquid cooling technologies: direct-to-chip, rear-door heat exchangers, or immersion cooling systems
- Familiarity with Uptime Institute Tier standards and ASHRAE TC9.9 data center thermal guidelines
- Commissioning experience, including functional performance testing (FPT) and integrated systems testing (IST)
- Experience with water treatment systems and makeup water strategy for evaporative cooling systems
- Knowledge of relevant codes: ASHRAE 90.1, IPC/UPC plumbing codes, NFPA where applicable
- Experience working alongside electrical and controls engineers to ensure integrated BMS/EPMS operation
- Comfort working in a fast-moving environment where facility capacity has to keep pace with compute deployment schedules

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Must be available to work extended hours and weekends when needed based on site operational needs; flexibility required
- Willingness to travel to job sites during construction, commissioning, and critical operational events

## 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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