SpaceX
Vehicle Engineering
SoftwareEngineer,EngineeringSimulation&Automation(VehicleEngineering)
Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Mid+ candidates.
“Software Engineer, Engineering Simulation & Automation (Vehicle Engineering) at SpaceX. Skills: automated simulation pipelines, training datasets for AI surrogate models, simulation automation, Python for scientific computing and automation, HPC environments, job schedulers, workflow managers. Develop and maintain automated simulation pipelines that generate training datasets for AI surrogate models at scale. Partner with domain engineers to identify bottlenecks and build custom tools that impro”
What You'll Achieve.
accelerate engineering for our launch vehicles and spacecraft; generate high-quality training datasets for surrogate models at scale; accelerate engineering analysis, simulation, development, testing, avionics design, flight data review, logistics, and mission operations; support the world’s largest communication and AI satellite constellations; accelerate rapid reuse of the Falcon launch vehicle; contribute to the development of the world’s largest rocket capable of sending humans to Mars; create the large, diverse, and well-curated datasets required to train production-grade AI surrogate models; unblock engineering and analysis bottlenecks at SpaceX via simulation automation; optimize simulation setups are accurate, robust, and efficient for surrogate training; ensure generated data and tools optimally support AI surrogates and broader engineering productivity
Industry & Context.
unblock engineering and analysis bottlenecks at SpaceX via simulation automation; identify bottlenecks and build custom tools that improve productivity and reduce manual effort
Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary, U. S. citizen or national, U. S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), Refugee under 8 U. S. C. § 1157, or Asylee under 8 U. S. C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U. S. Department of State.
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, data science, math, physics, or a related technical OR 4+ years of professional experience building software or simulation pipelines in lieu of a degree, 1+ years of software development experience, 1+ years of hands-on experience with at least one simulation domain (CFD, FEA, thermal, structural analysis, etc. )
Nice to Have
Experience with ANSA, Star-CCM+, OpenFOAM, Abaqus, OpenTD, OpenFOAM, CalculiX or similar commercial/in-house/open source simulation tools, Proficiency scripting simulation APIs (especially ANSA Python API or Star-CCM+ automation), Demonstrated success building automated workflows that run thousands of simulations for dataset generation, Understanding of Design of Experiments (DOE) and sampling techniques such as Latin Hypercube (LHS), Experience working in HPC environments with job schedulers such as Slurm or equivalent, Familiarity with surrogate modeling concepts and the data requirements of neural operators, FNOs, physics-informed ML, or similar models, Familiarity with deep learning and preparing data for ML workflows, Proficiency with Python for scientific computing and automation, Experience developing on Linux systems, Understanding of version control, testing, continuous integration, build, deployment, and monitoring, Good understanding of statistics, numerical methods, and core engineering simulation techniques
What You'll Do.
Develop and maintain automated simulation pipelines that generate training datasets for AI surrogate models at scale
Partner with domain engineers to identify bottlenecks and build custom tools that improve productivity and reduce manual effort
Create and optimize scripts using APIs such as ANSA Python API
Star-CCM+ Java/Python macros
Build parametric workflows for geometry variation
batch simulation execution
and result extraction
Orchestrate large-scale simulation campaigns on HPC clusters using job schedulers and workflow managers
Implement data management
and versioned storage of simulation results
Develop general automation tools and scripts to accelerate engineering workflows across simulation
Deep dive into engineering physics domains to ensure simulation setups are accurate
and efficient for surrogate training
Integrate simulation tools with version control
and monitoring systems for reproducible datasets
Stay current with advances in simulation automation
and best practices for ML-ready datasets
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
work closely with domain experts; work closely with ML surrogate modeling engineers; work closely with hardware engineers; Collaborate closely with ML engineers
Full Job Description
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, ENGINEERING SIMULATION AND AUTOMATION (VEHICLE ENGINEERING) Be a member of the AI for Vehicle Engineering team, focusing on developing automated simulation tools and pipelines to accelerate engineering for our launch vehicles and spacecraft and generate high-quality training datasets for surrogate models at scale. Our team builds AI systems that accelerate engineering analysis, simulation, development, testing, avionics design, flight data review, logistics, and mission operations. Your work will directly support the world’s largest communication and AI satellite constellations, accelerate rapid reuse of the Falcon launch vehicle, and contribute to the development of the world’s largest rocket capable of sending humans to Mars. In this role, you will design, develop, and maintain scalable simulation automation pipelines that create the large, diverse, and well-curated datasets required to train production-grade AI surrogate models. You will also work closely with domain experts to unblock engineering and analysis bottlenecks at SpaceX via simulation automation. You will leverage commercial, in-house, and open source simulation tools across FEA, CFD, thermal, and structural domains, writing custom scripts against their APIs to automate geometry parameterization, meshing, solving, post-processing, and data extraction at scale. You will also create general automation tools to accelerate day-to-day engineering workflows. You will work closely with ML surrogate modeling engineers, domain experts, and hardware engineers to ensure generated data and tools optimally support AI surrogates and broader engineering productivity. RESPONSIBILITIES: Develop and maintain automated simula
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