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Automation & Controls Specialist, Launch Pad (Starship)

SpaceX · Starbase, TX

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Level
Specialist
Team
Controls
Degree
Required
Experience asked
4+ years
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
Today

The role in 30 seconds

A specialist controls role at SpaceX (aerospace & defense) in Starbase, TX. (unassisted) 15 minutes or less per day.

They ask for
4+ years · degree required
Tools it names
Automation, Tooling

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026

Controls Engineer roles in Texas: typical posted base $95k–$140k.

Median of the low and high ends of 9 live postings that list pay, out of 83 controls engineer openings in Texas, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Texas plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 82 other live controls postings in Texas.

Base pay
Not listed in this posting

Typical $95k–$140k, from 8 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Typical (4+ years)

Similar roles usually ask 4+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • PLC 83%
  • ✓ Automation 76%
  • Robotics 39%
  • EHS / safety 28%
  • Python 25%
  • Root cause 24%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for Tooling, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 4+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Lifts up to 50 lbs

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

  1. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at SpaceX

    We found 3 people at this company and state: 3 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

    One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

    Write to Naseh → (free)
  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 4

    Apply with someone vouching for you

    If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.

  5. 5

    Bring proof to the interview

    One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: SpaceX in Starbase

48 other open roles at this site · 3 people we found in controls roles at SpaceX.

All 49 roles at SpaceX →
Full description from SpaceXAs posted on their careers site.Show

Responsibilities

  • ◆Create work instructions for integration of electrical and controls systems as well as their related secondary structures
  • ◆Identify and escalate tricky designs that lead to manufacturing difficulties, and propose solutions for improving the process
  • ◆Provide production support: rapidly disposition issue tickets, work with engineers to define

requirements

and standard repairs

  • ✓Troubleshoot electrical and controls systems
  • ✓Select, modify, and maintain equipment needed to perform tests and fabrication projects
  • ✓Onboard new machinery or equipment to increase the efficiency of builds
  • ✓Document build processes
  • ✓Pursue initiatives to streamline the process of going from a design to completed hardware in the field including the areas of supply chain, planning generation, communication with technicians, test plans, tooling, checkouts, and data review

Qualifications

  • ✓High school diploma or equivalency certificate
  • ✓4+ years of professional experience working with electrical or data acquisition systems
  • ✓2+ years of experience designing electrical, mechanical, or control systems (experience from a university or trade school qualifies)

Preferred skills and experience

  • ✓Proficiency in writing and interpreting planning documents, schematics, wiring diagrams, specifications, drawings, manuals, blueprints, and engineering sketches
  • ✓Ability to install and use instrumentation including strain gages, pressure transducers, load cells, thermocouples, RTDs, accelerometers, and analog circuitry
  • ✓Ability to fabricate and repair cable harnesses including: soldering, crimping, assembling connectors
  • ✓Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills
  • ✓Ability to rapidly change roles/responsibilities while working in a high-paced, challenging work environment
  • ✓Ability to solve complex problems with minimal supervision on tight schedules

Requirements

  • ✓Willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
  • ✓Ability to work at elevated heights up to 500 feet
  • ✓Stand: Up to 10 hours per day
  • ✓Sit: Up to 6 hours per day
  • ✓Push/Pull: Up to 75lbs. (unassisted) 15 minutes or less per day
  • ✓Overhead reach: Up to 6 hours per day
  • ✓Walk: Up to 10 hours per day
  • ✓Lift/Carry: Up to ≤ 50 lbs. (unassisted) 15 minutes or less per day
  • ✓Climb (ladder/stairs): Up to 10 hours per day
  • ✓Kneel/Crouch: Up to 3 hours per day
  • ✓Upper body twist: Up to 3 hours per day
  • ✓Ability to work in temperatures over 80 degrees 6 hours or greater per day
  • ✓Candidate must be capable of safely working at heights (up to 500ft), in confined spaces, using an air purifying respirator, operating heavy equipment and machinery, and performing the physical

requirements

of the job listed in the job description

  • ✓Candidate may be required to complete a pre-employment questionnaire and/or physical to confirm these capabilities, which may include a medical history review

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 .

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 .

Show full 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.

Automation & controls specialist, launch pad (starship)

The Starship Tower & Launch Mount team is looking for controls build specialists to help bring the next generation of launch pads to life. This role bridges the gap between detailed design and activations by developing plans for installing conveyances and pulling cables, building a healthy supply chain of commonly used parts, assisting in the field as needed, and feeding lessons learned from the build back to the design team. The systems the group is developing are intended to interface with the next generation of Starship vehicles, catch both stages, and enable a rapid, automated flight cadence that requires no manual actions between launches.

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