Propulsion Software Engineer (Falcon Engineering)

Hawthorne, CAfull timeOn Site

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mid

$125k–$160k

H1B: no

SpaceX Propulsion Software Engineer develops automation and AI tools to improve Falcon and Merlin engine operations and hardware reliability. The role involves building data pipelines, AI systems, and dashboards to support engineering teams and anomaly resolution.

Responsibilities

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

Qualification

Bachelor’s degree in computer scienceExperience building web dashboards

Required

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)

Preferred

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