Job brief: Propulsion Engineer (Merlin Hardware Development)

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 (4 days ago); last confirmed on the board 2026-11-08.
• 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: $100,000 to $140,000 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Hawthorne, CA
• Posted: 2026-07-14 · over 60 days ago

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

Level: Entry level. The posting asks for 1+ years of experience.

Must have

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or physics
• 1+ years of academic or professional hands-on experience performing fabrication, assembly, and/or testing
• 1+ years of academic or professional experience using CAD to design parts/assemblies
• Master’s degree in mechanical engineering or aeronautical/astronautical engineering
• 1+ years of academic or professional experience related to combustion devices or rocket engine development
• Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S.

Conditions

• Ability to travel in support of testing, launching, and maintenance of engine hardware (up to 10%)
• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends when production, test, or launch timelines require it
• You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.
• 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/…

Main duties

• Serve as the Responsible Engineer for a Merlin engine component or system, where you will be the primary technical point of contact for your hardware through…
• Lead Merlin development and qualification test campaigns for hardware improvements or root cause investigations
• Design, analyze, produce, and operate Merlin propulsion hardware and systems across development and flight operations
• Partner with engineers and technicians across production, test, launch, avionics, GNC (guidance, navigation & control), software, mission management, and fli…
• Resolve day-to-day production, test, and launch issues by getting hands-on with the hardware

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: $183k a year (2,180 listings, 74 employers). This listing is 34% lower.
• Across SpaceX's 2,900 open listings, 60% 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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