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SpaceX

Software Engineer (Thermal & Fluid Analysis)

Starbase, TX
Level
Junior

Not stated in the posting: salary, work type, visa.

Open. First seen 23 May 2026.

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.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER (THERMAL & FLUID ANALYSIS)

The Thermal & Fluid Analysis team supports the design and testing of Starship’s thermal and fluids systems. These include active and passive thermal control, propellant feed systems, gas systems, thermal protection, and in-space propellant management among many other subsystems. These systems must perform reliably in extreme environments from launch to recovery.

In this role, you will develop software tools to support analysis, improve design processes, automate workflows, and subsequently deploy the new software/workflows to the analysis and engineering community. Your work will enable making informed decisions more quickly and thus reducing the time required to realize a self-sustaining colony on Mars.

This role requires strong software development skills and an interest in simulation, thermal design, and fluid systems. Experience with thermal & fluid system modeling technique and simulation is a major plus.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Design software and workflows that improve mission critical analysis throughput
  • Build infrastructure to support thermal and fluid systems analysis
  • Automate analysis workflows to speed up mission and design iteration
  • Support simulation and validation with test and flight data
  • Collaborate with engineers to improve reliability and performance of spacecraft systems
  • Write clean, scalable code and maintain strong documentation

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related field
  • 1+ years of experience coding in Python, JavaScript, and/or Rust (including internship or academic experience)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Familiarity with thermal or fluid systems in spacecraft or aerospace applications
  • Strong background in Python and data processing
  • Experience automating engineering workflows or simulations
  • Knowledge of and/or experience in MATLAB, C/C++, Git, Thermal Desktop, ANSYS Workbench, Siemens STAR-CCM+
  • Understanding of thermal/fluid networks (0-D or 1-D modeling)
  • Excellent communication and documentation skills
  • Interest in making engineering tools easier to use and more scalable
  • Familiarity with high performance computing

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed

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.

What this role asks for

Standard for software engineering roles

Python

Common in software engineering postings at any company.

74% 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: Starship Analysis HIRES STEADILY

This role is one of 6 open in Starship Analysis. 1 was posted in the last 30 days and the oldest in May: a team that hires all year rather than one being built.

WHAT THE TEAM WORKS WITH, ACROSS ITS POSTINGS

MATLAB (6 of 6), Python (6 of 6), ANSYS (3 of 6)

OTHER ROLES ON THIS TEAM

From the team and dates on SpaceX's own job board.

Other openings for this role

2 postings for this role in Starbase, TX since 7 March 2026, 1 still open. None has been taken down and posted again.

  • 23 May 2026 – open (this posting)
  • 7 March 2026 – closed 15 June 2026

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