SpaceX Posts First Jobs for Vermilion Parish Spaceport

PECAN ISLAND, La. — Elon Musk’s SpaceX has opened four job listings for its planned Vermilion Parish spaceport, the first public hiring push since the company and state officials unveiled the $100 billion project last month.

The four openings appeared on the company’s careers page this week, exactly four weeks after Gov. Jeff Landry stood with SpaceX representatives in Abbeville to announce the Starbase Louisiana project. Construction on the spaceport is expected to begin in 2027.

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The Four Positions Now Open

Two of the roles, senior construction project manager and civil engineer for land development, will be based at Starbase in the Brownsville, Texas, area until early 2027, when both positions require relocation to Vermilion Parish. The construction project manager will coordinate on-site building activity and supervise field personnel, while the civil engineer joins the launch infrastructure team working to build a second orbital launch pad and supporting facilities.

The government affairs manager must live in or near Vermilion Parish and will lead local and state government relations, community and business relations and educational outreach for the project. The fourth listing, senior counsel for real estate and infrastructure, is based on-site at Pecan Island and will handle land purchases, leases, easements and rights-of-way tied to the spaceport.

Two weeks ago, a listing for an external affairs manager briefly appeared on SpaceX’s site before it was pulled. The company did not respond to a request for comment about the removal at the time.

Where Vermilion Parish Fits Into Starbase Louisiana

SpaceX’s Aug. 25 announcement, first detailed by The Acadiana Advocate, outlined a spaceport built on roughly 125,000 acres of coastal wetlands about 45 miles south/southwest of Lafayette. The land became available through the settlement of a lawsuit Vermilion Parish and the state brought against ExxonMobil over coastal wetland damage.

The completed facility is expected to include five launch pads and support Starship, the rocket SpaceX calls the most powerful in the world. State officials have said the project will create at least 3,000 direct jobs, with company leaders pointing to hiring patterns at the Texas Starbase site to suggest Louisiana employment could eventually climb much higher.

What the Hiring Push Means for Acadiana

Four job postings mark the point where Starbase Louisiana moves from announcement to active hiring in Vermilion Parish. Louisiana Economic Development has projected an average salary near $92,600 for the roughly 3,000 direct jobs expected over the next decade, with thousands of additional indirect jobs anticipated among contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and other businesses connected to the project.

One Acadiana launched an online resource hub last week for residents and businesses tracking the project, offering project details, anticipated timelines, frequently asked questions and supplier information. The state’s economic development office also maintains a jobs and contracting page for residents and companies interested in the project.

How Residents Can Apply or Get Involved

Job seekers can review the current openings directly on SpaceX’s careers page. Businesses interested in becoming suppliers, and residents with general questions about the project’s timeline, can find resources through One Acadiana’s hub or the state’s site.

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