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Operations Engineer, Starship Production (Starbase)

SpaceX · Starbase, TX

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Level
Engineer
Team
Production
Travel
10%
Degree
Required
Experience asked
1+ years
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
4 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

An engineer-level production role at SpaceX (aerospace & defense) in Starbase, TX. Identify, design, plan, and execute capital equipment, machine, building/infrastructure, and layout upgrades to meet production, materials management, and site demand.

They ask for
1+ years · degree required
Tools it names
Lean, Six Sigma, Capacity planning, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, CATIA / NX
Day to day
about 10% travel

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of November 9, 2026

Production Engineer roles in Texas: typical posted base $105k–$158k.

Median of the low and high ends of 26 live postings that list pay, out of 111 production 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 110 other live production postings in Texas.

Base pay
Not listed in this posting

Typical $98k–$153k, from 23 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Less than usual (1+ vs 5+)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • Team leadership 39%
  • ✓ Lean 33%
  • Root cause 29%
  • ✓ New product launch 23%
  • ✓ Six Sigma 22%

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

Stands out: this posting asks for Capacity planning, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, CATIA / NX, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 1+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

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 Production team at SpaceX

    We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 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 Kevin → (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?
    • The posting says about 10% travel. Between which sites?
    • 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

51 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in production roles at SpaceX.

All 52 roles at SpaceX →
Full description from SpaceXAs posted on their careers site.Show

Responsibilities

  • ◆Identify, design, plan, and execute capital equipment, machine, building/infrastructure, and layout upgrades to meet production, materials management, and site demand
  • ◆Drive improvements to increase production throughput, reduce production build hours and quality issues, and remove waste from complex processes
  • ◆Act as subject matter expert in multiple Starship production processes and systems, enabling complex data gathering, troubleshooting, and problem solving
  • ◆Work as part of a team to develop, manage, and implement production strategies to mitigate future production risks and seize opportunities to improve output, quality, safety, and cost
  • ◆Develop site and factory design plans that meet production rate targets, involving production line layouts, capacity studies, material flow analyses, building requirements, and facility/utility resources
  • ◆Define new business processes and systems for high volume production, including manufacturing execution, inventory management, nonconformance resolution, configuration management, material traceability, process control, and maintenance
  • ◆Train technicians, engineers, and leaders on best-in-class operations practices by driving process improvement workshops, providing training and information briefs on key topics, and demonstrating solutions in the area
  • ◆Consistently contribute effort, leadership, and creative thinking to solving complex problems in a collaborative fashion and under tight deadlines
  • ◆Collaborate across disciplines including Production, Engineering, Test, Materials Management, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure efficiency and consistency across the organization
  • ◆Regularly present findings, improvement opportunities, and project execution to program leadership

Qualifications

  • ✓Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, industrial, or other engineering discipline
  • ✓1+ years of professional experience in production engineering, manufacturing, or industrial project management

Preferred skills and experience

  • ✓Experience with high volume production atmospheres (automotive or similar)
  • ✓Proficiency with CAD programs (Siemens NX, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Revit, or similar)
  • ✓Proficiency with Lean principles, Six Sigma concepts and applications, creative problem solving and project management methodologies
  • ✓Proficiency with statistics, data analysis, cost/benefit analysis, and visualization tools such as Power BI or similar
  • ✓Experience with inventory, production, and capacity planning (including MRP/ERP systems)
  • ✓Experience with SQL, Python, and AI tools
  • ✓Experience with discrete event modeling software, statistical analysis, or operations research fields
  • ✓Experience with Bluebeam Revu
  • ✓Experience analyzing large datasets, checking for accuracy/errors in datasets, and communicating data driven conclusions
  • ✓Experience supporting production start-up and production ramp periods
  • ✓Able to contribute to and work well with multi-disciplinary and cross-functional teams
  • ✓Ability to identify customer needs, gather requirements, and execute independently
  • ✓Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-stress, dynamic environment that includes working with changing needs and

requirements

  • ✓Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • ✓Demonstrated ability to communicate with and influence stakeholders in higher-level leadership

Requirements

  • ✓Must be able to work extended hours, some nights and/or weekends when needed to meet major milestones
  • ✓Must be able to travel - up to 5-10% travel may be required to other SpaceX facilities
  • ✓This position is based in Starbase, TX and requires being onsite - remote work not considered

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.

Operations engineer, production (starship )

At the forefront of SpaceX’s mission to make humanity an interplanetary species, Starship is the vehicle that will deliver humans to Mars and beyond. This operations engineering role will support production programs through strategic planning, optimization of production processes, and alignment of resources to tasks. We are seeking engineers to lead cross-functional and multidisciplinary initiatives in a fast-paced environment that increase production throughput, optimize material flow, support new product introduction efforts, reduce build hours, and standardize best practices.

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