Simulation Software Engineer (Vehicle Engineering)
- Salary
- $125,000 - $160,000
- Level
- Mid
Not stated in the posting: work type, visa.
Open. First seen 22 September 2026.
What this role asks for
Particular to this role
C++ · ROS
Rare in SpaceX's other 299 open postings.
81% of this description is written for the role. The rest is SpaceX's standard text, folded away below.
Read against SpaceX's other open postings on this site.
The team: Application Software HIRES STEADILY
This role is one of 89 open in Application Software. 22 were posted in the last 30 days and the oldest in June: a team that hires all year rather than one being built.
WHAT THE TEAM WORKS WITH, ACROSS ITS POSTINGS
PostgreSQL (77 of 89), Python (77 of 89), C# (70 of 89), Docker (70 of 89), Kubernetes (70 of 89), SQL (70 of 89), Angular (69 of 89)
OTHER ROLES ON THIS TEAM
- Application Software Engineer, Flight Software posted Oct 18
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Launch Software posted Oct 15
- Manager, Software Engineering, People (Application Software) posted Oct 13
- Manager, Software Engineering, Finance (Application Software) posted Oct 13
- Principal Operations Engineer (Application Software) posted Oct 13
- Site Reliability Engineer, Data Center Infrastructure posted Oct 10
- Sr. Site Reliability Engineer, Platform Infrastructure posted Oct 10
- Site Reliability Engineer, Data Center Infrastructure posted Oct 8
- Application Software Engineer, Employee Experience posted Oct 7
- Application Software Engineer, Manufacturing Systems posted Oct 1
- Sr. Software Engineer, Platform posted Oct 1
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Platform posted Oct 1
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Launch Software posted Sep 28
- Software Engineer, Manufacturing Infrastructure posted Sep 26
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Manufacturing Systems posted Sep 26
- Software Engineer, Backend (Python/C++) posted Sep 25
- Sr. Full Stack Engineer, Platform Systems posted Sep 23
- Full Stack Software Engineer posted Sep 23
- Full Stack Engineer, Launch Software posted Sep 22
- Software Engineer, Simulations (Vehicle Engineering) posted Sep 22
- Software Engineer, C++ (Simulations) posted Sep 22
- Software Engineer, Internal Applications posted Sep 15
- Application Software Engineer, Internal Systems posted Sep 7
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Internal Systems posted Sep 7
- Sr. Full Stack Software Engineer posted Sep 5
- Full Stack Software Engineer posted Sep 5
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Flight Software posted Sep 5
- Site Reliability Engineer, Platform Infrastructure posted Sep 3
- Full Stack Engineer, Flight Software posted Sep 1
- Sr. Full Stack Engineer, Developer Systems posted Sep 1
- Full Stack Engineer, Employee Experience posted Aug 30
- Software Engineer, Application Software - Memphis posted Aug 30
- Lead Software Engineer, Finance posted Aug 30
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Developer Systems posted Aug 30
- Software Engineer posted Aug 30
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Internal Systems posted Aug 24
- Software Engineer (Application Software) posted Aug 19
- New Graduate Engineer, Software (Application Software) posted Aug 19
- Software Engineer posted Aug 18
- Sr. Software Engineer posted Aug 18
- Full Stack Engineer (Application Software) posted Aug 14
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Manufacturing Systems posted Aug 13
- Full Stack Engineer (Application Software) posted Aug 12
- Application Software Engineer posted Aug 11
- Lead Software Engineer, Application Software (Finance) posted Aug 8
- Sr. Full Stack Engineer, Finance posted Aug 8
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Internal Systems - Memphis posted Aug 5
- Full Stack Engineer (Application Software) posted Aug 5
- Application Software Engineer posted Aug 5
- Sr. Full Stack Engineer, Internal Systems posted Aug 4
- Full Stack Engineer (Application Software) posted Aug 3
- Software Engineer, Backend (C/C++) posted Aug 3
- Application Software Engineer, Applied AI posted Jul 30
- Application Software Engineer, Applied AI posted Jul 30
- Application Software Engineer, Applied AI posted Jul 30
- Application Software Engineer, Applied AI posted Jul 30
- Application Software Engineer, Applied AI posted Jul 30
- Application Software Engineer, Applied AI posted Jul 30
- Application Software Engineer, Applied AI posted Jul 30
- Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software) posted Jul 28
- Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software) posted Jul 28
- Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software) posted Jul 28
- Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software) posted Jul 28
- Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software) posted Jul 28
- Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software) posted Jul 28
- Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software) posted Jul 28
- Lead Software Engineer, Starship Manufacturing (Application Software) posted Jul 27
- Sr. Full Stack Engineer, Manufacturing Systems posted Jul 26
- Sr. Full Stack Engineer (Application Software) posted Jul 26
- Sr. Full Stack Engineer, Employee Experience posted Jul 25
- Production Engineer, Site Reliability (Application Software) posted Jul 24
- Full Stack Software Engineer, Application Software - Memphis posted Jul 24
- Software Engineer, Site Reliability Engineering (Application Software) posted Jul 23
- Site Reliability Engineer (Application Software) posted Jul 23
- Application Software Engineer posted Jul 22
- Lead Full Stack Engineer, Starship Manufacturing (Application Software) posted Jul 20
- Full Stack Software Engineer (Application Software) posted Jul 18
- Software Engineer, Test Infrastructure (C/C++) posted Jul 16
- Application Software Engineer, Spaceport Experience posted Jul 13
- Lead Software Engineer, Application Software (Manufacturing) posted Jun 29
- Application Software Engineer - Memphis posted Jun 26
- Application Software Engineer posted Jun 26
- Sr. Application Software Engineer posted Jun 26
- Application Software Engineer posted Jun 26
- Sr. Site Reliability Engineer (Application Software) posted Jun 26
- Sr. Full Stack Engineer (Application Software) posted Jun 16
- Sr. Application Software Engineer posted Jun 16
- Software Engineer, Test Infrastructure (Application Software) posted Jun 10
From the team and dates on SpaceX's own job board.
About the role
SpaceX's standard text
SpaceX 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 SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
SIMULATION SOFTWARE ENGINEER (VEHICLE ENGINEERING)
As a Software Engineer on the Simulations team, you will design, develop, and test our in-house simulation software supporting all SpaceX flight systems. You will program the core simulation infrastructure and collaborate on the building of models of fluids, electronics, and multi-body physics systems. This is a high impact role where you will work across the engineering groups to build high fidelity simulations used to develop cutting-edge software and hardware.
Our simulation software is critical to current and future mission successes including Falcon, Falcon Heavy, Dragon, Starlink, and Starship. SpaceX is looking for smart, motivated software engineers who enjoy taking on complex challenges, work well in dynamic environments and care about software best practices.
Help us build world class software that is critical to SpaceX mission to Mars.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop and maintain the high-fidelity real-time simulation software used for all vehicles
- Develop prototypes to prove out key design concepts and quantify technical constraints
- Maintain the highest standards of excellence, never settle for the status quo
- Improve reliability and performance of simulation software
- Work with simulation software users to develop new features and improve user experiences
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, math, or STEM discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree
- 1+ years development experience in C++
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Strong software design and development skills in C++
- Understanding of distributed computing systems, networking protocols, memory management, and CPU scheduling
- Thorough knowledge of classical physics and math (algebra, calculus, Euclidean geometry)
- Strong skills in debugging, performance optimization and unit testing
- Creative approach to problem solving
- Experience with open source C++ simulators such as ROS2 and Gazebo
- Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment with changing needs and requirements
- Ability to work independently and in a team, take initiative, and communicate effectively
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Willing to work extended hours and weekends when needed
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay Range:
Level 1: $125,000.00 - $160,000.00
Level 2: $145,000.00 - $195,000.00
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 just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock 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 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- 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.
SpaceX's standard text
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX 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 SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.
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