---
title: 'Mechanical Engineer, Starship Tooling at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-starship-tooling-spacex-cape-canaveral-9mkv628853n0'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-03'
---

# Mechanical Engineer, Starship Tooling at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Cape Canaveral, FL
- **Posted:** 2026-10-27
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-03
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8920387002?gh_jid=8920387002

## 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, STARSHIP TOOLING

As a member of the Starship Tooling team at Cape Canaveral, you will work with a group of engineers across multiple disciplines to design, build, and activate the launch pad hardware, recovery systems, and production tooling that launch and catch the most powerful rocket in the world.

This team sits at the intersection of two disciplines. The first is structural design: large welded steel structures, heavy plates, load paths, and bolted and welded connections that react hundreds of thousands of pounds. The second is machine design: hold-downs, sliders, and actuated mechanisms with precise pin fits, bearings, and kinematics that must work the first time and every time. The hardware is big, the loads are high, and the schedule is short. You will own your hardware end to end, from the first hand calculation and NX model through fabrication planning with our internal welding and toolmaking teams, build, and activation testing.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Design, analyze, build, and activate mechanical hardware for Starship launch pads, recovery systems, and production tooling, spanning large welded steel structures and precision mechanisms such as hold-downs, sliders, and actuated systems
- Demonstrate complete end-to-end project ownership: define requirements, develop the concept, size it with hand calculations and analysis, release detailed models and prints, plan fabrication, lead the build, execute activation testing, and hand over to launch operations
- Perform engineering hand calculations and finite element analysis to size structures and mechanisms, including statics and load paths, weld and bolted joint sizing, fatigue, kinematics, pin and bearing fits, and tolerance stacks
- Design mass-efficient welded steel structures and define clear load paths for hardware that reacts very high static and dynamic loads
- Design, prototype, and test mechanisms with precise fits and kinematics; specify GD&T that controls the features that matter
- Create detailed models and engineering prints in NX and manage large assembly models
- Create manufacturing planning for scope performed by internal welding, machining, and toolmaking teams, and manage outside fabricators and suppliers where needed
- Support hardware activation with the controls engineering team and perform development and acceptance testing with production and launch operations teams
- Lead in-field troubleshooting: safe the system when hardware behaves unexpectedly, then lead root-cause analysis and corrective action
- Work closely with launch operations teams and their leadership to ensure the products we deliver meet form, function, and aesthetic expectations
- Make development decisions based on cost and schedule considerations and present cost and schedule trade proposals to leadership
- Work hands-on alongside technicians, welders, and machinists when needed to get hardware built, installed, and activated on time

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
- 1+ years of professional experience using NX, CATIA, Creo, or SolidWorks design software package or ANSYS, ABAQUS, or FEMAP software (internship and project experience applies)

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- 1+ years of experience in a professional setting designing, analyzing, or building mechanical structures
- Demonstrated proficiency in both structural design (plates, weldments, load paths, bolted and welded connections) and machine design (mechanisms, kinematics, precision fits, bearings, actuators)
- Strong fundamentals in statics, dynamics, and mechanics of materials, and the ability to apply them quickly and correctly in hand calculations
- Experience designing and fabricating mass-efficient welded structures
- Experience designing and testing mechanisms
- Experience with finite element analysis
- Experience with large-scale hardware (launch or ground support equipment, heavy industrial equipment, cranes and lifting, shipbuilding, or heavy machinery) and the loads, materials, and fabrication methods that come with it
- Experience working in a production facility or on a build site with equipment and machinery, including hands-on fabrication, build, and activation
- Experience managing large CAD assembly models and drawings; experience with NX
- Strong understanding and demonstrated application of GD&T
- Skilled in reading and interpreting engineering drawings, parts lists, and specifications
- Master’s degree in mechanical engineering
- Project management experience in the aerospace, industrial, or power generation industry
- Ability to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment including daily interactions with technicians, engineers, suppliers, and leadership
- Ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
- Passion for hands-on work when needed to enable project completion
- Proactive, self-starter attitude and ability to lead projects throughout their entirety

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Ability to pass Air Force background check for Cape Canaveral
- Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary
- Willing to travel to other SpaceX locations as necessary
- Work schedule may vary depending on site operational needs, and flexibility is required
- 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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