Elon Musk's SpaceX Is Hiring: 11 Of the Craziest SpaceX Jobs Recruiting Now

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is staffing up, with hundreds of open positions listed on the company’s career site. As you might expect, many are in engineering, helping develop the software and hardware needed to bring projects like the Falcon 9 and the Mars-bound Raptor to life.

The company has been steadily ramping up its hiring since last September, according to Thinknum. Lots of the new hires are reportedly working on projects related to the Falcon Rocket, which Musk hopes to have on Mars as early as 2024.

If you’re able to make it through the interview process, SpaceX appears to be a pretty popular place to work according to Glassdoor. Software engineers earn six figures on average, according to the job site’s salary data, and employees give CEO Elon Musk high marks. As for the downsides, you’ll probably have to log pretty long hours, with roughly a fifth of the reviews mentioning the tough work life balance.

Still undaunted? Here’s what you’ll need to know in order to land a job at the company that’s sending people into space.

How to Land a Job at SpaceX

The most important thing for job applicants to be able to communicate, according to Brian Bjelde, one of the company’s HR execs, is that you care about SpaceX’s mission of turning humankind into a multi-planet species. Bjelde also emphasized that the company’s hiring process as being very skills focused: welders should expect to weld on job interviews, for example.

Here are some of the wildest jobs currently recruiting on SpaceX’s site, and what it’ll take to snag one.

Lead Harness Design Engineer

If you have a passion for high tech seatbelts, it might be time to dust off your CV: SpaceX is hiring a lead harness design engineer to create proof of concept, prototypes, and design and create 3D harness designs to be used in all of its vehicles.

Satellite System Integration & Test Engineer

SpaceX’s Redmond office is recruiting a senior satellite system integration and test engineer to make sure that the company’s satellites are ready to withstand space travel.

Toolmaker

If you like to tinker around with tools — and have a half decade’s experience or so with model-based 3D metrology software — then you may want to toss your hat it in the ring to become a toolmaker at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral’s location. Toolmakers at SpaceX are responsible for building and maintaining “some of the most advanced structures and machines in the world,” according to the job description.

Sr. Physical Security Analyst

As you might expect from a company with secretive government contracts, SpaceX has a team devoted to protecting the company from internal and external threats. The company is currently recruiting a Sr. Physical Security Analyst to conduct intelligence analysis and brief the leadership.

Materials Specialist - Casting and 3D Printing

If you have a passion for space exploration and 3D printing, this may be the job for you: the company is currently recruiting a hire to use polymer 3D printers to develop casting operations.

Barista

It’s not all rocket scientists working at SpaceX, and the company is also hiring for dozens of non-technical roles, including two baristas. Espresso machine proficiency required.

Satellite Attitude Determination & Control Engineer

SpaceX is looking for a number of engineers to help develop its cutting edge satellites. The Satellite Attitude Determination and Control Engineer will work on making sure its satellites are pointed in the right direction. Sounds simple enough, though the job listing says that a Master’s or PhD in physics or engineering is preferred.

Full Stack Software Engineer - Cape Canaveral , FL Launch Site

Elon Musk has called its Enterprise Information Systems team the “nervous system” of the company for keeping all the different teams connected. If that sounds appealing to you, the team is currently hiring a full stack engineer to work at its launch site.

Space Environment Analyst

There is lots of stuff up in space, from debris and other space craft to micrometeorites traveling up to 70 kilometers per second. The Space Environment Analyst is in charge of modeling space travel to figure out how SpaceX vehicles and satellites will interact with their environment and when cargo will need “mass-efficient shielding.”

Recovery Operations Engineer

After SpaceX launches, someone has to make sure as much of the company’s expensive equipment as possible is recovered and repaired. To that end, SpaceX is recruiting a number of engineers to improve its recovery operations and develop “novel ways to meet NASA requirements” for its landing sites.

Lead Test Specialist - Dragon

The Dragon is SpaceX’s spacecraft that’s designed to be able to deliver humans and cargo into space. According to the site, the company is currently working enhancements to allow it to be manned by an actual crew, with the first manned mission planned for as early as this year.