Sr. Thermal Engineer, Thermal & Fluid Analysis (Starship)

Company : SpaceX

Location : Inglewood, CA, 90303

Posted Date : 20 October 2025

Job Details

Sr. Thermal Engineer, Thermal & Fluid Analysis (Starship)

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. THERMAL ENGINEER, THERMAL & FLUID ANALYSIS (STARSHIP)

As a Senior Thermal Engineer on the Starship Thermal & Fluids analysis team, you are responsible for the thermal design, test, and validation of vehicles and hardware. You will make engineering decisions to improve vehicle performance and reliability to help create a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Thermal design of spacecraft, launch vehicles, and hardware, from initial high-level analysis down to validation of performance with ground tests, flight, and orbital data.
Automate workflow above to reduce engineering investment in per-mission analysis.
Pursue performance/robustness improvements.
Pursue operational simplicity and seek to reduce burden on other groups at SpaceX.
Produce quality documentation of your work to reduce miss-rate and improve efficiency.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
5+ years of professional experience using engineering simulation software such as MATLAB (student project team and internship experience qualifies).

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Master's degree in an engineering discipline.
5+ years professional experience with thermal or fluid analysis.
Strong understanding of spacecraft and/or launch vehicle systems.
Experience with 0-D and 1-D thermal/fluid networks.
Experience with Thermal Desktop and/or ANSYS Workbench.
Working knowledge of scripting languages (specifically Python).
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to deliver against an aggressive schedule.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

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

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:

Thermal Engineer/Senior: $125,000 - $175,000/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. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave 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 reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.