---
title: 'Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, Blades and Vanes at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/sr-manufacturing-engineer-blades-and-vanes-spacex-bastrop-67vt6vvshtzv'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, Blades and Vanes at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Bastrop, TX
- **Posted:** 2026-09-02
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8770206002?gh_jid=8770206002

## 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. MANUFACTURING ENGINEER, BLADES AND VANES

Working directly in the materials engineering group, this position owns equipment installation, commissioning, and process development for selected areas the blades and vanes investment casting line, from ceramic cores through wax, shell, and cast. A counterpart owns post-cast operations (shell removal through coating). Experience in any cores-through-cast area is welcome. The role starts with commissioning, then transitions to process ownership in the area where the engineer is strongest, always with a strong equipment foundation.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Lead commissioning, Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), Site Acceptance Tests (SAT), supplier management, and customization of pre-cast equipment, including VIM furnaces, ceramic and wax injection machines, shell dip lines, and thermal systems (kilns, dewax autoclaves, burnout and preheat furnaces).
- Coordinate supplier-defined facilities and services: power, water, waste, controls, network, connectivity, and MES.
- After commissioning, take process ownership of assigned cores-through-cast operations, drive production-ready capability, and own cost, rate, yield, and quality.
- Specify, design, and implement tools, fixtures, process aids, and additional equipment to hit rate, quality, and yield targets.
- Develop and maintain work instructions, process specifications, PFMEAs, control plans, and change-control documentation.
- Own EHS and process safety for assigned equipment, including high-temperature, vacuum, pressure, and chemical operations.
- Troubleshoot equipment and process issues on the floor; lead root-cause analysis and implement robust corrections.
- Collaborate with Materials, Design, Quality, Facilities, Controls, Production, Maintenance/Reliability, and EHS, including technicians and operators.
- Lead technical projects and mentor junior engineers and technicians; provide technical guidance and promote skill growth and team cohesion. Senior individual-contributor role, not a people-manager position.

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial, electrical, chemical, materials science, or other engineering discipline.
- 5+ years of equipment, manufacturing, or process engineering, including hands-on installation, commissioning, FAT/SAT, and supplier management.

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Experience in at least one major area of investment casting or a closely related high-temperature/precision process, and the ability to learn the full cores-through-cast flow.
- Strong mechanical aptitude with working knowledge of electrical, controls, automation, and facilities. Able to support or transition into maintenance and reliability for assigned equipment.
- Works independently, delivers under tight schedules, and communicates effectively with suppliers, technicians, and cross-functional partners.
- Direct experience with VIM furnaces, ceramic/wax injection, kilns/ovens, autoclaves, dip lines, core leachers, HIP, heat treat, AGVs, or related process equipment.
- Breadth across mechanical, electrical, materials, controls, and automation.
- Experience integrating equipment with MES and plant networks.
- Lean/Six Sigma or equivalent structured problem-solving.
- Prior mentoring of engineers and technicians, or technical leadership of project teams.
- Aerospace, energy, or other high-reliability casting or precision manufacturing.
- Hands-on maintenance, reliability, or equipment-sustainment experience.

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Travel approximately 15% for equipment commissioning and FATs; extended hours or weekends as required during commissioning and ramp.
- Ability to lift up to 25Ibs unassisted.
- Standing/walking for long periods of time.
- Willingness to work long hours and weekends as necessary to accommodate manufacturing and test campaigns.

## 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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