Propulsion Engineer, Valves

About the role

The Raptor Components team at Hawthorne creates and maintains the mechanical and electromechanical control hardware that makes the Raptor engine run as intended, and this opening sits within that team focused on flow control. You will manage the full lifecycle of these components, from initial design and analysis through testing, flight, and the lessons that come back from the field. The valves and regulators on a Raptor engine are what translate software commands into physical behavior, so the role requires both depth in mechanical design and a feel for how a component behaves under extreme conditions. You build the CAD models, your drawings become reality, your analysis finds the weak point, and your root cause work turns test failures into design lessons. Because the team also drives production rates, you will work at the intersection of design, suppliers, and manufacturing, pushing components toward higher throughput without giving up reliability. For engineers who want their work measured yet in orbit quickly, this is a position where those connections are tangible. The engines this team supports are built for the Starship vehicle, so the components you design will fly on hardware intended to operate across the full mission profile, from static fire testing to flight operations.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Create CAD models, engineering drawings, and technical specifications for the flow control devices used on Raptor engines.
• Lead root cause analysis on hardware problems that surface during development, testing, and launch flight, then implement the corrective actions.
• Simplify and optimize designs to improve reliability and manufacturability without losing function.
• Manage the working relationship between hardware design, suppliers, and internal test teams.
• Provide technical input for vehicle architecture decisions and lead design readiness activities.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to raise production rates and improve factory yield.
• Carry components from the drawing board through qualification and into the vehicle's configuration, tracking what holds and what wants.
• Collect test data during development and use it to drive design decisions, so the next revision is informed by hardware behavior, not guesses.

Requirements

• Bachelor degree in engineering or physics.
• Minimum 1 year of experience in mechanical system design and analysis, including professional work or project-based student experience.
• ITAR eligibility: must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.

Nice to have

• Master degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
• 1+ years of professional experience in mechanical or aerospace engineering.
• Practical experience designing, building, and troubleshooting mechanical systems.
• Working knowledge of fluid systems, solid mechanics, or electrical systems.
• Hands-on experience with high voltage, gas, fluid, or test instrumentation.
• Familiarity with valves, regulators, pumps, gears, motors, or actuators.
• Demonstrated leadership and project management skills.

Skills & tools

• CAD software
• Mechanical design and analysis
• Root cause investigation
• Fluid and electrical system principles

Practical notes

• Level I salary range: $100,000 - $115,000 per year.
• Level II salary range: $110,000 - $135,000 per year.
• Compensation includes potential stock incentives, discretionary bonuses, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 401(k), life insurance, disability insurance, and paid parental leave.
• 3 weeks of paid vacation and 10+ paid holidays each year.
• Up to 10% travel for hardware testing and launch support is expected.
• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends is required.
• The team owns its hardware end to end: designers work alongside test technicians and suppliers, and they are expected to be present when the engine runs their components.

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.