New Graduate Engineer, Mechanical Design (Starshield)
- No experience required
- US citizenship
- ITAR / US person
- Top Secret clearance
How this pay compares
This posting states $100k–$160k a year. Open mechanical engineer jobs in California post a median of $158k a year, the middle half $130k–$180k, across 266 jobs that state their pay, so this one is within the middle half of what they post.
Mechanical engineers in California: pay by town and employer
About the job
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. ## NEW GRADUATE ENGINEER, MECHANICAL DESIGN (STARSHIELD) Our SpaceX team is working on the toughest and most audacious projects on our planet: making humanity multiplanetary.
As a Mechanical Design Engineer on the SpaceX team, you will demonstrate extreme ownership through detailed and thorough design, hardware bring-up/characterization/testing, and requirements generation/verification - ultimately seeing your hardware through all aspects of its life cycle. You will work with many cross-disciplinary teams and will need to think at a system level to ensure that your design is viable.
Our development timelines are quick and you will need to rigorously explore solutions for previously unsolved or unknown problems.
Every day, we push the limits of what is possible through innovation, determination, and teamwork to drive the mission to success. ## RESPONSIBILITIES: - Own hardware and mechanisms from conceptual design through volume production and on-orbit operations to support various customers’ needs - Develop design criteria, collaborate on requirements, and drive system-level optimization - Rapidly iterate on designs and analysis to inform high-level systems trades and steer overall product direction - Drive holistic DFM to create elegant designs with a focus on piece part and process count reductions, error-proofing at every step of fabrication and integration, and consistent performance and production metrics - Establish an efficient product lifecycle starting in the supply chain through final integration that balances cost, complexity, and quality; work closely with partner teams to design and realize an efficient in-house production line - Perform environmental and performance testing on hardware to validate analysis and demonstrate compliance with design criteria - Own product delivery timeline through conception, design, assembly, and launch - Demonstrate extreme ownership of product outcomes at every stage of development and production ## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor's degree in an engineering or STEM discipline - Experience with CAD or FEA software packages (can be in a professional, academic, entrepreneurial, or hobby setting) - Experience with mechanical and/or electromechanical design and analysis (internship and extracurricular experience are applicable) - Graduating with a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD in 2027 ## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: - Master’s degree in engineering or a related technical discipline - Ability and willingness to obtain a Top Secret clearance - Solid understanding and application of GD&T - 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.) - Demonstrated understanding of structural analysis and failure modes of complex mechanical systems - Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills ## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS - 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 ## 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. Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program. ## 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 reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com .
From SpaceX's job posting, checked 7 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
Selected agencies hiring now
Moseley Technical ServicesEngineering and technical staffing agency
Engineering and technical staffing firm in Huntsville, Alabama, placing engineers and A&P, sheet metal, CNC and quality technicians.
Places: Propulsion, Mechanical, Avionics, RF & Payloads
Contract Professionals Inc (CPI)Engineering and technical staffing agency
Aerospace and defense staffing firm in Waterford, Michigan, placing engineers, maintenance technicians, mechanics, welders and CNC machinists.
Places: Propulsion, Mechanical, Avionics, RF & Payloads
These agencies and apps pay SpaceJobs.Now a referral fee when someone we introduce is placed or signs up. It costs you nothing and never changes your pay. Employers' own jobs below keep their own order.
Sponsored jobs from job networks, which pay SpaceJobs.Now when you click one.
Free tools for this application: check your resume against this job, answer the application's questions, write your internship essay or see every free tool.
New mechanical, structures and thermal engineering jobs in space in California, by email
One email a week with the newest ones, straight from the employers' own careers sites, with the pay each posting states. Free, stop anytime.
About SpaceX
Designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.
Pay on its listings: 53.2% of its open jobs state an hourly rate
How it pays: Paid as an employee on SpaceX's own payroll (salaried or hourly, as each posting states).
More mechanical, structures and thermal engineering jobs in space
- Loads & Dynamics Engineer (Starshield)$100,000–$160,000/yr
- Spacecraft Dynamics Engineer$136,000–$220,000/yr
- Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer$150,000–$200,000/yr
- Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer - Composites and Structures$175,000–$215,000/yr
- Vehicle Structures Engineer I (Heat Shield)$90,000–$136,000/yr
- Strength Analyst 3$99,604–$166,007/yr
A mechanical, structures or thermal engineer?
One profile for every employer here. Space companies and their recruiters ask us for people with a specific degree, clearance, specialty or location: add yours once, and when a job fits, we introduce you, only with your yes. Free.
SpaceX openings, sent to you weekly
Each week we send the newest postings from SpaceX's own careers site, along with similar openings at other space employers. It costs nothing and you can stop anytime.