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.

SATELLITE MECHANICAL ENGINEER, HARNESS DESIGN (STARSHIELD)

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.

SpaceX is looking to hire a satellite harness design engineer to work with a brilliant and passionate team of engineers. As a harness design engineer on the Starshield team, you will own harness design from the early stages of developing the vehicle electrical connectivity to component selection, qualification, production, and ultimately flight. This role is extremely multidisciplinary and will give you unparalleled exposure to high-level vehicle architecture.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with electrical and software engineers to architect the space vehicle’s power and network connectivity
• Develop design criteria, collaborate on requirements with all engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, RF, EMI, etc), and drive system-level optimization
• Own product delivery timeline through conception, design, assembly, and launch
• Design satellite wire harnesses with an emphasis on reducing part/process count, error-proofing every step of fabrication and integration, and achieving consistent performance and production metrics
• Develop harness design solutions in CAD, develop manufacturing procedures and documentation, and produce drawings that clearly articulate the design intent for production
• Qualify designs for flight environments including thermal, vibration, and shock, with a combination of analysis and physical testing (both mechanical and electrical)
• Demonstrate extreme ownership of product outcomes at every stage of development and production

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering or STEM discipline
• 1+ years of electro-mechanical wire harness design experience (internships, student projects, and professional experience are applicable)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Ability and willingness to obtain a Top Secret clearance
• Proficiency with Siemens NX and Teamcenter
• Experience with CAD and FEA software packages 
• Experience with wire harness 3D design, wire harness installation drawings and formboard creation, wiring diagrams, 3D modeling of complex top-level assemblies, 3D modeling and analysis of avionics enclosures and secondary structure
• Demonstrated ability to own hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team outside a classroom setting (FSAE, Engineers without Borders, Student Directed Research, Design-Build-Fly, NASA student launch, personal entrepreneurial ventures, etc.)
• Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to meet mission-critical deadlines
• Ability to travel to SpaceX, vendors, customers, and partner locations as necessary 
• An active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; if so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:       

Level I: $95,000.00 - $115,000.00/per year

Level II: $110,000.00 - $130,000.00/per year      

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, stock options, 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 & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation & will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.

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.  

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 notify the Human Resources Department at (310) 363-6000.