As thousands of companies cut back on hiring, Elon Musk's SpaceX ($PRIVATE:SPACEX) still has its eyes on the future — and the skies. The number of job listings posted to the private space-launch company's careers page has hit 642 openings, its highest level yet.
At this time last year, SpaceX listed 226 openings — that's a 184% increase in hiring activity. A lot has changed at SpaceX in the past year, from launching and planning a spinout of its Starlink broadband Starlink satellite network, to getting started on Raptor, a cryogenic liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine that will be used to launch Starship, the company's heavy-lift vehicle.
Last year at this time, SpaceX hiring was heavily weighted in the Production and Supply Chain Management categories. Today, Production remains in high demand, but Vehicle Engineering now has the second-most job listings at spacex.com. Beginning in October 2019, Raptor Production job listings began appearing, and it's now become one of the more in-demand groups.
In October, a single Raptor Production job appeared on SpaceX's recruiting website. Today, that number is 30. Those positions include:
|
Title |
Posted Date |
|---|---|
|
Orbital Tube Welder |
2020/03/19 |
|
Propulsion Technician - Raptor Tube Shop |
2020/03/19 |
|
Tube Bender |
2020/03/19 |
|
Propulsion Technician, Raptor Turbopump |
2020/03/16 |
|
Manufacturing Development Engineer (Raptor) |
2020/03/10 |
|
CNC Programmer |
2020/03/05 |
|
Deburr Operator (2nd Shift) |
2020/03/05 |
|
Production Supervisor - Raptor Tube Shop |
2020/02/28 |
|
CNC VTL Machinist (2nd shift) |
2020/02/26 |
|
R&D TIG Welder (2nd shift) |
2020/02/26 |
|
3-Axis R&D Machinist (2nd Shift) |
2020/02/24 |
|
5-Axis R&D Machinist (2nd Shift) |
2020/02/24 |
|
5-Axis R&D Machinist (2nd Shift) |
2020/02/24 |
|
5-Axis CNC Machinist (2nd Shift) |
2020/02/20 |
|
Supervisor, Machining Operations (2nd shift) |
2020/02/18 |
|
Manufacturing Engineer - Machining Operations (2nd shift) |
2020/02/18 |
|
Process Planner (Raptor) |
2020/02/13 |
|
Manufacturing Engineer (Raptor Production - Foundry) |
2020/02/12 |
|
Casting Design Engineer (Raptor) |
2020/02/11 |
|
Manufacturing Engineer - Machining Operations (1st Shift) |
2020/02/05 |
|
Production Control Scheduler - Raptor, Tube Shop |
2020/02/05 |
|
NX Programmer |
2020/01/31 |
|
Manufacturing Engineer - Raptor Tube Shop |
2020/01/30 |
|
3-Axis R&D Machinist |
2020/01/23 |
|
Manufacturing Specialist - Machining Operations |
2020/01/16 |
|
Production Control Coordinator (2nd Shift) |
2020/01/16 |
|
Production Coordinator |
2020/01/16 |
|
Additive Manufacturing Engineer |
2019/12/26 |
|
CNC Lathe Machinist (2nd Shift) |
2019/12/20 |
|
Manufacturing Engineer, Raptor Engine Production |
2019/12/05 |
The bulk of the jobs are located at SpaceX's Hawthorne, CA headquarters followed by Redmond, Washington where laid-off Boeing workers may find some reprieve.
Brownsville, Texas has also become an important hiring hub for SpaceX, where the company is hiring most for its Launch and Vehicle Engineering teams.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
Further Reading:
- Coronavirus outbreak threatens global economies - but here's who's hiring
- Elon Musk is doing so good at rockets that SpaceX is hiring more people than ever
- Blue Origin is outpacing SpaceX in hiring as NASA contracts roll in, but not for long