Propulsion Software Engineer (Falcon Engineering)

• Partner with Falcon and Merlin hardware engineering teams to identify manual, repetitive, and error-prone work and scope tools to automate it
• Build automation and data pipelines that process large volumes of engineering data, including telemetry, hardware design databases, configuration files, and manufacturing and test records, to streamline data review, flag anomalies, and surface insights
• Develop agentic AI systems, multi-agent workflows, and MCP servers on top of that data so engineers can query, analyze, and act on it across multiple internal systems
• Build internal web dashboards that give engineers a clear view of mission status, open work, and data review results
• Thoroughly test and validate all tools, including evaluating AI outputs against known-good results, so engineers can trust them in a flight-critical environment
• Support anomaly resolution by working directly with engineers on every Falcon sub-component to improve time-to-insight
• Participate in and lead architecture, design, and code reviews
• Collaborate with engineers across the company to extend and improve interoperability among existing tools

Basic qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or physics; OR 4+ years of professional experience in hardware engineering or engineering automation in lieu of a degree
• 1+ years of software development experience in Python, C/C++, or similar, with a focus on automation tools or AI integrations (professional and personal projects are applicable)
• 1+ years of hands-on experience with engines, fluid systems, or structural hardware in design, test, or operations (professional, academic, and student team projects are applicable)

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.

• Experience building agentic AI systems and multi-agent workflows, including prompt and context engineering, tool calling, MCP servers, and evaluating LLM outputs
• Comfort analyzing large time-series telemetry and sensor datasets in Python using pandas, NumPy, and SciPy, with a working knowledge of numerical methods and signal processing
• Strong SQL skills and experience with relational (PostgreSQL), non-relational, and vector databases, as well as integrating systems through REST APIs
• Proficiency developing on Linux with Git, automated testing, and CI/CD
• Familiarity deploying containerized applications using Docker and Kubernetes
• Experience building web dashboards, such as React/TypeScript frontends with FastAPI or Flask backends
• Hands-on experience testing liquid propellant rocket engines or working with pressurized fluid components such as valves, regulators, and pneumatic systems
• Familiarity with liquid propellant engine cycles, launch vehicle fluid systems, and launch vehicle structures
• Understanding of compressible and incompressible flow, thermodynamics, thermochemistry, mechanics, and materials
• Ability to read P&IDs and instrumentation drawings and relate them to vehicle telemetry
• Experience supporting integrated vehicle, pad, or launch operations

Level 1: $125,000.00 - $160,000.00 Level 2: $145,000.00 - $195,000.00

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks.

You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

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.