CNC Machinist (Raptor)

About the role

You own daily workflow from intake to shipping on Raptor hardware. Decisions you make shape production quality and schedule adherence. Your work keeps mechanical parts moving through every station.

Location

Hawthorne, California.

Engagement

Full time.

Compensation

Compensation ranges are $23.00 to $27.00 per hour for CNC Machinist/Level 1; $26.00 to $32.50 per hour for CNC Machinist/Level 2; $31.00 to $38.00 per hour for CNC Machinist/Level

3. 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 one element of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, 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 days of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.

What you'll do

Operate CNC machines and produce flight hardware needed to achieve program level production rate goals.

Set up each machine with precise measurements for Raptor component specifications.

Chase machine cut threads to size to satisfy dimensional requirements and fit.

Inspect surface finishes, threads, and broken edges to confirm conformance using hand tools.

Borescope parts to check for internal defects and remove debris safely.

Operate clean line equipment, perform laser part marking, and complete general part finishing according to requirements.

Perform CNC machine preventative maintenance on a weekly and monthly basis to reduce downtime.

Manage cutting tools in CNC machines to ensure that machines have the needed cutting tools loaded and measured before they are called into upcoming programs.

Prioritize daily work to ensure high machine uptime across the assigned shop or area.

Complete work instructions and test plans to document needed data throughout each process.

Perform precision set-ups of various CNC machines on state-of-the-art assets.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalency certificate must be on file.

1 year of manufacturing experience on the shop floor.

Available for overtime and weekend hours as production needs require.

Must be available for first shift from 5:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

Capable of lifting up to 50 pounds without accommodation.

Capable of standing and kneeling without accommodation for extended periods.

Nice to have

5 or more years of manufacturing experience.

Strong mechanical aptitude.

Clear reading and writing skills with accuracy in arithmetic shop math.

Experience in shop math, tooling technology, blueprint reading, and measurement of parts.

Strong interpersonal skills including, but not limited to, contributing to a team-oriented environment while balancing team and individual responsibilities.

Skills and tools

Blueprint reading; CNC operation; measurement tools; ITAR requirements.

Practical notes

ITAR requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must meet one of the following: (i) U.S. citizen or national; (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder); (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157; or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.d.C. § 1158. Applicants must also be eligible to obtain any other required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. More information about ITAR requirements can be found at the official apply page.

About the company

Based in Starbase, Texas, a company pursues work in spaceflight, telecom, and artificial intelligence. A unit handles rocket launches, leading yearly orbital counts beyond other national and commercial teams. Another unit runs Starlink, a satellite communications firm. A third area, through SpaceXAI, advances Grok and AI integration with X, while managing data center operations. Roles often cross these paths. Candidates with engineering, software, or operations backgrounds may find chances to join projects that span launch, connectivity, and machine learning efforts in this Texas-based enterprise.