Thermal Hardware Engineer
Description:
THERMAL HARDWARE ENGINEER (STARSHIP)
Starship requires a robust Thermal Protection System (TPS) to withstand the extreme heat generated during atmospheric reentry at hypersonic speeds. The thermal hardware team is responsible for the design, analysis, integration, and continuous improvement of Starship's reentry heat shield and structures. As a thermal hardware engineer, you will drive the development of the next-generation heat shield from concept and detailed mechanical design to thermal-structural modeling, qualification testing, production, integration, flight rationale, and post-flight data-driven optimizations. At Starbase, you will have the opportunity to work in an exciting and dynamic environment, dividing your time between the office and the production floor to ensure the delivery of the best-engineered product and ultimately mission success.
Responsibilities
- Develop, test, and qualify new or refined thermal protection system solutions for our Starship architecture
- Own the outcome and set up the end-to-end solutions to thermal challenges from idea to flying hardware
- Work with production on resolving issues on the floor and on the vehicle with our flight hardware
- Analyze and troubleshoot post-flight conditions on vehicle heatshields to drive vehicle changes and improvements
- Coordinate with analysis, avionics, structures, supply chain, and reliability engineers to drive multidisciplinary projects
- Work with outside vendors, suppliers, and testing resources to bring in new materials, capabilities, or processes
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in material science, mechanical engineering, materials engineering, or aerospace engineering
- 1+ years of engineering experience designing, analyzing, or building mechanical or thermal systems (internship and school projects experience qualify)
| Organization | SpaceX |
| Industry | IT / Telecom / Software Jobs |
| Occupational Category | Thermal Hardware Engineer |
| Job Location | Texas, USA |
| Shift Type | Morning |
| Job Type | Full Time |
| Gender | No Preference |
| Career Level | Intermediate |
| Experience | 1 Year |
| Posted at | 2026-06-06 4:40 pm |
| Expires on | 2026-12-13 |