Intern/Associate Engineer - All Roles

Department: Operations

Location: Hawthorne, CA

Compensation: $70K – $90K

Employment Type: Intern

Intern & Associate Engineers

Position Details
Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA
Employment Type: Internship
Department: Engineering
Travel: Occasional
Application Type: Rolling / Ongoing

About Starpath
Starpath develops and manufactures the technologies that will enable humans to live on the Moon and Mars. Today, we are building robotic systems that locally produce the essential commodities a lunar civilization will require at extreme scale: water, power, and oxygen. Our ultimate goal is to build and operate a self-sustaining city on Mars.

The Role
We hire early-career engineers on a rolling basis throughout the year — both Interns (currently enrolled students) and Associates (recent graduates or Master's students). Applications are reviewed continuously; strong candidates are moved to screens as opportunities open across our teams. Whether you're joining us for a summer, a semester, or the start of your career, you'll work on real hardware alongside senior engineers, with real ownership from day one.

We hire across all of Starpath's programs — space solar, lunar surface infrastructure, and manufacturing operations — and across mechanical, chemistry, materials, electrical, software, manufacturing, and test disciplines. When you apply, tell us which program and discipline best match your background and interests.

Responsibilities

• Own a scoped project as a contributing member of a discipline team — design, analysis, test, manufacturing, or process development

• Ramp on Starpath's engineering process, tools, and technical stack under the mentorship of senior engineers

• Contribute to design reviews, test campaigns, and manufacturing improvements

• Present your work internally and, for interns, at the end of your internship

• Take on progressively harder problems as you build depth

• Ask hard questions and push back when something doesn't make sense

Required Qualifications

• For Interns: Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program in engineering, chemistry, materials science, physics, computer science, or a related discipline. Must be a rising junior or senior at the time of the internship and returning to school at the end of the internship to continue academic studies for at least one quarter/semester

• For Associates: Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering, chemistry, materials science, physics, computer science, or a related discipline; 0-2 years of full-time experience (internships and academic research applicable)

• Collegiate project team or laboratory experience (e.g., Formula SAE, Baja SAE, Aero Design, Rocketry / IREC / Spaceport America Cup, Solar Car, Robotics (FRC/VEX), CubeSat/small satellite teams, or comparable)

• CAD skills (any platform) and ability to make high quality engineering drawings, or equivalent discipline-specific hands-on tool proficiency

• Demonstrated hands-on fabrication, laboratory, or build skills

• High competence with, and fluid use of, engineering first principles in your discipline

• U.S. Person status is required, as this position needs to access export-controlled data

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior internship experience and/or leadership on a collegiate project team or research laboratory

• Depth in a specific discipline through research, senior projects, or industry work

• Experience with industry-standard tools in your discipline (e.g., NX/Teamcenter, SolidWorks, or Onshape for mechanical; FEA/CFD for analysis; wet chemistry and characterization for materials; embedded C for controls software)

• Ability to integrate across disciplines — mechanical, electrical, software, or chemistry

• Experience with machining, sheet metal, 3D printing, laser cutting, PCB assembly, or comparable fabrication skills

• Coursework or research in areas relevant to space, chemistry, materials, robotics, or manufacturing

Compensation & Benefits

• Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA

• Competitive salary, compensation scales with candidate experience and level (Intern or Associate)

• Subsidized meals in-office

EAR 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.

Equal Opportunity
Starpath is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.