---
title: 'Tooling Engineer, Starship Components (Materials Engineering) at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/tooling-engineer-starship-components-materials-engineering-spacex-hawthorne-ypx6sa1zwt3g'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-03'
---

# Tooling Engineer, Starship Components (Materials Engineering) at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Hawthorne, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-10-28
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-03
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8918376002?gh_jid=8918376002

## 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.

TOOLING ENGINEER, STARSHIP COMPONENTS (MATERIALS ENGINEERING)

SpaceX continues to revolutionize the launch industry by combining advanced technological developments with pragmatic and lean manufacturing. Materials used on SpaceX vehicles are designed to withstand the extreme environments of launch, on-orbit operations, and reentry. This role will lead a team responsible for the support of advanced welding and joining processes on follow control devices and mechanisms that drive critical capabilities on Starship/Super Heavy - from regulators and butterfly valves to flap/fin actuators. We design, manufacture, and test valves, regulators, and actuators for maximum reliability in extreme environments, compatibility with various fluids, temperatures ranging from 80 to 800K, and pressures beyond 800 bar.

This position will own manufacturing and development of Tooling and Equipment for SpaceX’s Starship components welding. The person in this position will help develop,  build, and certify designs to optimize tooling related to welding and inspection processes The Tooling Engineer in this role will interface daily with design, automation, welding, NDE, and test engineers to make the machine that builds the machine and enforce standardized practices and procedures on multiple welded assemblies.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Design and manufacture of welding fixtures for processes including, but no limited to, electron beam welding, laser beam welding, gas tungsten arc welding, and orbital tube welding.
- Collaborate with design engineering to ensure tooling can work with assemblies without damaging critical features.
- Create detailed models and engineering prints in NX.
- Perform hand calculations and analysis to size structures and mechanisms.
- Create manufacturing planning for scope performed by internal welding and toolmaking teams.
- Scope equipment procurement for welding processes.
- Create and evaluate asset maintenance schedules.
- Support machine activation with welding engineering team and perform development testing.

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or another engineering discipline.
- 1+ years of experience in one or more of the following: designing and building mechanical structures, GD&T, fabrication of mechanical assemblies, weldments, or CAD software design package (e.g. Solidworks, NX, CATIA, or ProE).

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Demonstrated ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- CNC and/or Robot programming experience for automated welding solutions.
- Tooling design experience for welded assemblies to reduce part distortion and improve part consistency.
- Self-motivated engineer with keen attention to detail.
- Hands-on experience in a high-production manufacturing environment.
- Mechanical component and/or tooling design and analysis experience using 3D CAD software.
- Experience with design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA).
- Experience writing work instructions and procedures for critical components.
- Expertise and engineering knowledge in tooling, automation, welding engineering, components design, and/or components manufacturing.
- Experience in software development in SQL, Python or C#.

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Must be able to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
- Must be able to travel for business needs – up to 25%.

## COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range: Level 1: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00 Level 2: $115,000.00 - $160,000.00

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. [SpaceX Jobs Board (Greenhouse)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacex)

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