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Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer, Satellites (Starlink)

SpaceX

Redmond, WAJob$135–220K/yrPosted 1 day agoStill listed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$135–220K/yr
Location
Redmond, WA
Work Authorization
Work authorization required

Olive focuses on jobs in the United States, including remote roles you can work from there.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Bachelor's degree, required

Job overview

As a member of SpaceX’s Starlink Production Design team, the Senior Mechanical Design Engineer designs custom tooling and machinery for high-volume satellite production. The role spans mechanical design, analysis, fabrication, qualification, and commissioning of structures, mechanisms, and automation equipment. The engineer owns projects from concept through production bring-up, partnering with flight design and production teams to develop satellites, factories, and production processes in parallel.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Machining, nice to haveNX, nice to haveDesign for Manufacturing, nice to havePDM, nice to haveFinite Element Analysis, nice to haveElectromechanics, nice to have3D CAD, nice to haveANSYS, nice to haveCAD, nice to haveCNC, nice to haveMechanical Design, nice to haveDesign Systems, nice to haveLathes, nice to haveUnigraphics, nice to haveGD&T, nice to have2D Drawings, requiredStructural Design, nice to haveStructural Analysis, nice to haveCustom Machine Design, nice to haveElectromechanical Systems, nice to haveStructures Hand Calculations, nice to haveDesign for Manufacturability, nice to haveDesign for Assembly, nice to haveHigh-Volume Production, nice to haveDrafting Standards, nice to haveManufacturing Processes, nice to haveMilling, nice to haveCNC Machining, nice to haveManual Machining, nice to haveSiemens NX, nice to haveTeamcenter, nice to haveFEMAP, nice to haveNASTRAN, nice to haveANSYS Workbench, nice to haveNX Advanced Simulation, nice to haveManufacturing Process Development, nice to haveFacility Layouts, nice to haveProduction Line Layouts, nice to haveProcess FMEA, nice to haveError Proofing, nice to have

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Engineering, required5+ Years Mechanical Engineering Experience, requiredExtended Hours and Weekends Availability, required

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance
401(k) Match
Parental Leave
Paid Time Off

Full 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. MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEER, SATELLITES (STARLINK)

As a member of the Starlink Production Design team you will design the factory of the future, enabling mass production of satellites, ground stations, and high-performance space hardware that has never been produced in volume. You will design custom tooling and machinery for production processes that range from manual to highly automated. You will use your expertise in mechanical engineering to design, analyze, fabricate, qualify, and commission structures, mechanism and automation equipment, optimizing for pace of execution and net impact to SpaceX. You will personally own high impact projects and drive them from concept to completion on a time scale measured in months, not years.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Design and develop structures, mechanisms and automation equipment to enable high volume production of Starlink Satellites

  • Demonstrate extreme ownership of projects through their entire lifecycle, from initial concept generation through fabrication and production bring-up

  • Balance simultaneous projects of varying scope and complexity in a fast-paced environment

  • Partner with flight design and production teams to develop the satellite, factory and production processes in parallel

  • Solve complex, open-ended problems with an emphasis on speed of execution and efficiency

  • Hone your organizational skills as you coordinate with internal SpaceX resources and external vendors and maintain a project schedule and budget

  • Assemble and commission the equipment you design

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline

  • 5+ years of professional experience in Mechanical Engineering

  • Prior experience designing mechanical systems using 3D CAD software and 2D drawings

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Prior work experience with structural design and analysis

  • Experience with custom machine design; electromechanical systems, motors, actuators, linear rails, bearings, lifting/rigging, etc.

  • Ability to perform structures hand calculations

  • Strong expertise in design for manufacturability and design for assembly including experience taking products from development to high-volume production

  • Familiarity with drafting standards and the application of GD&T

  • Solid understanding of common manufacturing processes and machines including mills, lathes, manual and CNC, and hands-on machining experience

  • Experience with Siemens Unigraphics (UGS/NX) and Teamcenter CAD/PDM systems

  • Experience with finite element analysis, such as FEMAP pre/post processing, NASTRAN Solver, ANSYS Workbench, NX Advance Simulation

  • Experience with manufacturing process development, facility and line layouts, process failure mode effects analysis, and error proofing

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Must be available to work extended hours and weekends as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range: Level 3: $135,000.00 - $220,000.00

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 in Washington State accrue paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law. Company shuttles are offered to employees for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office Monday to Friday. 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 [email protected].

How this job compares

Set against the 741 open Mechanical Design Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 13, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$135–220K/yr
  • Washington median$120–165K/yr34 salary ranges
  • US median$103–160K/yr478 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $178K, is 27% above the Washington median midpoint ($140K) — in the top quarter of Mechanical Design Engineer salary ranges in Washington.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 44 open Mechanical Design Engineer jobs in Washington and 741 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Washington
Experience
This posting asks for at least 5 years of experience; Mechanical Design Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (636 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 442 of the 741 open Mechanical Design Engineer jobs (60%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 13, 2026. Figures based on too few postings are left out.

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