Sr. Materials Engineer, SX Casting
Listed on 2026-02-07
-
Engineering
Materials Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer
Overview
Space
X 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 Space
X is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
SR. MATERIALS ENGINEER – SX CASTING
Space
X continues to revolutionize the launch industry by combining advanced technological developments with pragmatic and lean manufacturing. This is especially important for the future of rapid and high-volume Starship flight, where power generation is crucial. As a member of the Materials Engineering team, you will own solving complex materials challenges in a rapidly innovating environment. You will regularly interface with engineering and supply chain teams, as well as have hands-on responsibilities with hardware, ultimately ushering in the next era of revolutionary spaceflight.
- Partner with supply chain, vendors, and engineering teams to accelerate progress on development and production of SX (single crystal) casted components for gas turbines
- Develop, qualify and troubleshoot metal casting processes used in production
- Provide technical review and advising for design efforts as it relates to material alloy and form selection, tooling, and material and process specifications
- Collaborate with and support vendors on qualification and property development of castings and processes
- Responsible for driving scaling and implementation of casted components to ground systems hardware
- Responsible for coordinating with ground engineering, vehicle engineering, supply chain, vendors, operations, technicians, and senior leadership on a consistent basis to stay aligned on product performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost requirements
- Dynamically balance the trade between manufacturability, performance, efficiency, and product life with business needs
- Perform root cause investigations using fractography, metallography, and characterization techniques
- Bachelor’s degree in material science, materials engineering, weld engineering, metallurgical engineering, or other related engineering discipline
- 5+ years of professional experience with developing metal casting technologies
- 3+ years of experience with metallographic characterization techniques and equipment, such as SEM-EDS, optical microscopy, hardness testers, mechanical property testing, and/or spectroscopy techniques for composition or phase
- Master's degree or Ph.D. in material science, materials engineering, weld engineering, metallurgical engineering, or equivalent engineering discipline
- 5+ years of professional experience with SX casting technologies
- Experience working on Ni-based superalloy castings
- Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills with enthusiasm for the team’s spirit of innovation in cutting-edge technology
- Experience with technical review of material processes and a first principles understanding of how process variables impact material performance
- Demonstrated track record of success in a rapidly growing, fast-paced and highly competitive environment
- Personality and drive to execute in a scrappy entrepreneurial environment that operates under tight timelines and aggressive schedules
- Hands-on experience in a high-production manufacturing environment
- Effective written and interpersonal communication skills
- Willingness to travel to other Space
X sites and/or vendors for significant/extended periods of time (up to 35%) - Ability to lift up to 30 Ibs unassisted
- Standing/walking for long periods of time
- Willingness to work long hours and weekends as necessary to accommodate manufacturing and test campaigns
- 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
Space
X is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Space
X 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 Space
X’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to
(If this job is in fact in your jurisdiction, then you may be using a Proxy or VPN to access this site, and to progress further, you should change your connectivity to another mobile device or PC).