Job brief: Sr. Operations Engineer (Starship Machining)

What JoRoute checked · Checked by JoRoute

• Listed on SpaceX's own job board. JoRoute does not take listings from job ads or recruiters.
• First seen by JoRoute 2026-11-04 (3 days ago); last confirmed on the board 2026-11-07.
• The apply link opens boards.greenhouse.io, the address SpaceX's board gives for this job.
• No other listing with this title and place on this board in the last 90 days.
• No layoff notices (WARN) under this name in the state files JoRoute reads.

What the listing says · Employer's own words, not checked

• Pay: $135,000 to $215,000 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Hawthorne, CA
• Posted: 2026-09-28

What the job asks · Employer's own words, not checked

Level: Senior. The title says "Sr".

Must have

• Bachelor’s degree in physics or an engineering discipline
• 5+ years of hands-on manufacturing experience
• 4+ years of experience in using Excel, SQL, or Python/R for analysis or modeling dynamic systems
• Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S.
• § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S.

Conditions

• Ability to stand for long durations and work directly with hardware on the floor
• Ability to lift/carry up to 25lbs (unassisted) for 1-2 hours per day
• Ability to travel and work long hours or weekends when necessary
• You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.

Main duties

• Design and own factory and production area layouts that enable increased capacity and capability for machining Starship components
• Lead the installation and commissioning of new automated CNC machining cells, including the CNC machines themselves, automated material feed systems, automat…
• Conduct job walks with vendors, negotiate prices and hold vendors to schedule
• Execute on complex projects in the minimum amount of time and expense to the business
• Get hands-on and lead by example to get projects completed rapidly

Lines copied from the posting, not rewritten. "Preferred" or "nice to have" items are not listed as must-haves.

How it compares · Compared by JoRoute from listings

• Typical listed pay for engineer jobs in California: $184k a year (2,180 listings, 73 employers). This listing pays about the same.
• Across SpaceX's 2,898 open listings, 59% of those with a posting date were first posted more than 60 days ago. How SpaceX hires

What nobody outside the employer knows · Not known

• Whether the role is already filled or on hold: employers often leave listings up.
• How many people applied, and who reads the applications.
• Where in the published range an offer would land.

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