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.

NEW GRADUATE ENGINEER, SOFTWARE (STARSHIP)

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket (collectively referred to as Starship) represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Starship will be the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the ability to carry in excess of 100 metric tons to Earth orbit. As a Software Engineer on the Starship Software team, you will design, develop, and test software that is used to both control and simulate SpaceX flight systems. You will engage with other SpaceX software and hardware engineers to implement and debug software at all layers of our stack – application, operating system, networking, firmware, simulation – to achieve the mission. Aerospace experience is not required to be successful here - rather we look for smart, motivated, collaborative engineers who love solving problems and want to make an impact on a super inspiring mission.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Expect a dynamic role doing what you’re best at. Our team is building high performance flight hardware, a high-volume rocket production line, and a launch system that can rapidly and reliably launch and land our rockets. Whatever your skill set, you’ll be aligned to the part of the program you’re most effectively able to contribute to
Develop highly reliable autonomous software systems and the simulations required to validate them
Own all aspects of software development, including design, testing, and integration to the mission
Work with counterpart engineering teams to develop and maintain launch and vehicle software, crossing all required software domains necessary to implement and verify control of the pad, ship, and booster to meet mission objectives
Follow and maintain high software standards and software engineering best practices within Starship Software
Get a front row seat to witness an impossible idea manifest in real life. The next few years will be incredibly dynamic as we transition from the challenge of building hardware to actually flying reusable rockets to orbit

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering or other engineering discipline
1+ years of software development experience via project team, research, internship, and/or professional experience
Graduating in the fall of 2025, spring of 2026, or summer of 2026

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Proven skills and knowledge of C++, Rust, or other systems programming language
Experience building or working with real-time embedded systems or distributed computing systems
Strong focus and interest in designing, architecting, and implementing excellent, bug-free software
Strong critical thinking and first-principles problem-solving skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Able to work effectively in a dynamic environment while assuming high levels of responsibility and demonstrating accountability for software outcomes
Experience working at a nimble engineering organization or in a highly technical position that required a scrappy, entrepreneurial manner to accomplish tasks with tight time or budget constraints
Excelled in ultra-competitive environments. You’ve nailed a podium finish in engineering, math, or science competitions, achieved scores in the top percentile of scholastic or standardized tests, or demonstrated other incredible feats of intellectual achievement
Succeeded in multiple endeavors at once. Maybe you worked through college, were a student athlete, or demonstrated strong work or academic performance in multiple fields
Demonstrated rapid growth. You’ve held successive positions of increasing responsibility within an organization, were able to get yourself up to speed at a heroic pace, and accomplished something meaningfully difficult early in your career
Demonstrated resilience and the ability to overcome failure or extreme odds. Many critics would say that our goals are impossible but this isn’t the first time we’ve proven that highly improbable goals like reusable rockets can become possible
Success in academics at a rigorous and highly regarded university: minimum GPA 3.5/4.0 or higher, standardized test scores minimum 95th percentile, merit-based scholarship recipient

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Willing to work long hours and weekends as needed
Ability and willingness to relocate to Starbase, TX (Brownsville, TX area)

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.

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; 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/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.

New Graduate Engineer, Software (Starship)