---
title: 'Sr. Automation & Controls Engineer (Starship) at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/sr-automation-controls-engineer-starship-spacex-starbase-8z8a4f2qm4zs'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Sr. Automation & Controls Engineer (Starship) at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Starbase, TX
- **Posted:** 2026-05-22
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8562427002?gh_jid=8562427002

## 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.

## SR. AUTOMATION & CONTROLS ENGINEER (STARSHIP)

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. We are looking for an automation & controls engineer to help SpaceX develop and build a great variety of automated solutions for Starship Production. This role will be hands-on in designing and activating hardware and software systems for the machines that make up the Starship production line. The role will also support transport and storage solutions for Starship vehicles. The successful applicant will join and be supported by a highly talented team of automation and control engineers with an amazing track record in developing any automated solution imaginable.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Participate in initial equipment conceptual development and carefully balance product specifications, process requirements, layout complexity, cost, and lead-time limits.
- Lay out new industrial electrical control panels that are NFPA79/NEC/UL508A compliant and create electrical, pneumatic, and fluid schematics.
- Architect, write, and debug PLC code, emphasizing generating organized, structured, documented, maintainable, and reusable code for manufacturing applications.
- Develop robot systems to aid in the automated manufacturing of various vehicle sub-components.
- Implement (ANSI/RIA15.06/OSHA compliant) control reliable safety systems for safeguarding robots, gantries, conveyors, and other manufacturing equipment.
- Generate aesthetically simple HMI screens for complex machinery while providing sufficient feedback for troubleshooting.
- Manage electrical cabinet builds, field wiring, pneumatic and fluid plumbing.
- Select and size electrical and electromechanical components such as servo motors and controllers.
- Deploy automated processes and equipment into production.
- Set, implement, and maintain schedules and budgets to ensure project completion.

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
- 5+ years experience in the design and commissioning of automation and controls systems for industrial applications.

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Master's degree in an engineering discipline.
- Process integration and electromechanical/mechatronic systems experience.
- Experience in a variety of robotic weld applications (Kuka, ABB & Fanuc).
- Robot and PLC simulation experience.
- Experience working with National Instruments software and hardware.
- Electrical schematic CAD experience using EPlan.
- C#, .NET, python and/or SQL experience.
- PLC programming experience, preferably Siemens TIA Portal & Beckhoff TwinCat 3.
- HMI and SCADA programming experience.
- Field bus networks, serial communication and Ethernet communication.
- Hands-on experience building and commissioning high quality electrical control panels and electro-mechanical systems.
- Knowledge of NEC, NFPA 79, UL508A codes.
- Exposure to a wide variety of production machinery, industrial sensors, and equipment (vision systems, dispense systems, temperature controllers, laser distance sensors, Nut-Runners, etc).
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
- Experience in fast-paced iterative design and manufacturing environments.
- Experience solving complex problems with little to no supervision on schedule as an individual or as a member of an integrated team.

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed.
- Stand: Up to 6 hours per day.
- Sit: Up to 3 hours per day.
- Push/Pull: Up to 50lbs. (unassisted) between 1 to 2 hours per day.
- Overhead reach: Up to 1 hour per day.
- Walk: Up to 3 hours per day.
- Lift/Carry: Up to 25lbs. (unassisted) between 1 to 2 hours per day.
- Climb (ladder/stairs): up to 3 hours per day.
- Kneel/Crouch: up to 3 hours per day.
- Upper body twist: Up to 3 hours per day.
- Ability to work in temperatures over 80 degrees: up to 3 hours per day.
- Candidate must be capable of safely working at heights (up to 500ft), in confined spaces, using an air purifying respirator, and performing the physical requirements of the job listed in the job description.
- Candidate may be required to complete a pre-employment questionnaire and/or physical to confirm these capabilities, which may include a medical history review.

## 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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