Launch Engineer, Dragon

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.

LAUNCH ENGINEER, DRAGON

SpaceX is seeking exceptional candidates for a Launch Engineer position on the Dragon Integration team. In this role, you will apply your technical expertise, hands-on experience, and creative problem-solving to develop solutions that advance human spaceflight operations and vehicle reusability. You will play a critical part in the maintenance, testing, and readiness of Dragon Spacecraft designed to safely transport crew and cargo to and from Low Earth Orbit. We are looking for engineers with deep expertise in Structures, Fluids, or Test backgrounds.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop, execute, and continuously improve procedures for the integration, testing, and operation of Crew and Cargo Dragon flight hardware and associated ground support equipment (GSE)

• Lead day-to-day execution of mission-specific launch site and vehicle processing activities, ensuring safe and efficient readiness for flight

• Evaluate flight vehicle requirements and define work scope for capsule maintenance and processing campaigns

• Manage work orders, drive non-conformances to resolution, and implement system improvements while maintaining accurate integrated planning documents across various vehicle configurations

• Investigate and resolve vehicle, GSE, and test equipment failures by dispositioning issues, identifying root causes, and implementing corrective and preventive actions

• Design and develop hardware and software tools that enable and optimize vehicle processing and test operations

• Collaborate daily with cross-functional engineering teams and skilled technicians

• Clearly communicate vehicle status and priorities to a broad audience during readiness reviews and daily updates

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, electrical engineering, or a related engineering discipline

• 1+ years of experience in hardware development, vehicle integration or refurbishment, manufacturing, pressurized systems, structural assembly, test operations, or related operations (internship and project experience accepted)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 3+ years of industry experience in automotive, aviation, or spacecraft manufacturing working with large integrated assemblies

• Hands-on experience with high-pressure fluid systems, avionics, structures, and mechanisms

• Experience writing test plans/procedures and executing integrated system tests

• Proficiency reading fluid and electrical schematics to analyze and improve test coverage, with the ability to verify designs using simplified hand calculations (FEA or CFD a plus)

• Mechanical component and tooling design experience using 3D CAD (intermediate proficiency; NX preferred