Network Engineer, AI Infrastructure (Starshield)
About this role
Engineers who thrive in fast-paced environments with hands-on infrastructure challenges will find a strong fit within this group. The Starshield team at SpaceX builds highly reliable in-space mesh networks and designs secure systems to support national security missions, utilizing Starlink technology and launch capabilities.
In this role, the selected candidate will drive the operation, build, and deployment of the Starshield data center network. Responsibilities include owning network design, proposing continual improvements, managing infrastructure in Top Secret data centers, and designing high-speed copper and optical connectivity solutions for large-scale AI clusters.
The position exists to support critical national security efforts, including earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads. Ideal candidates bring experience with enterprise networks, cloud environments, or GPU deployments, and possess a readiness to navigate classified infrastructure requirements.
What you will do
- Manage network infrastructure and deployments to Top Secret data centers.
- Design, validate, and productize high-speed copper and optical connectivity solutions for AI clusters at a scale of 100k+ GPUs.
- Collaborate with machine learning training teams to translate workload communication patterns into concrete interconnect topology and optical reconfigurability requirements.
- Contribute to various tools for rapid deployments including zero-touch provisioning and custom provisioning tools.
- Improve network performance and reliability through capacity planning, failure detection, and remediation based on system metrics.
- Lead network integration, troubleshooting efforts, and capacity augmentation deployments.
- Collaborate with hardware, software, and network engineers to improve the overall Starshield network design.
- Build automation for network devices, operational tools, and deployment utilities while updating system configurations and firmware.
What you need
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree in a technical or engineering discipline, or possess 4+ years of professional networking experience deploying enterprise network solutions, cloud networks, or web-scale networks in lieu of a degree.
- Bring at least 1 year of networking experience deploying enterprise network solutions, cloud networks, or GPU networks, where internship or co-op experience qualifies.
- Demonstrate Layer-1 experience covering transport, DWDM, optical fiber, circuit troubleshooting, and activations.
- Possess hands-on experience deploying networking hardware such as routers, modems, switches, and firewalls.
- Qualify to obtain and maintain a Top Secret or Top Secret SCI security clearance as a condition of employment.
- Conform to U.S. Government export regulations under ITAR requirements.
- Be available for on-call rotations, extended hours, weekends, and domestic or global travel when needed.
Nice to have
- Master’s degree in a technical or engineering discipline
- Experience with physical troubleshooting of fiber
- Deep understanding of datacenter networks including Ethernet, IPv4, IPv6, MPLS, BGP, OSPF, VXLAN, and InfiniBand/NVLink
- Familiarity with NVIDIA GPU deployment stacks like Blackwell and Rubin
- Cisco, Juniper, Arista or other industry certifications
Benefits
- Company stock or long-term cash awards and potential discretionary bonuses
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan for discounted stock
- Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
- 401(k) retirement plan and short/long-term disability and life insurance
- Paid parental leave, 3 weeks of paid vacation, and 10 or more paid holidays per year
- Active clearance 10% differential up to an additional $20,000 annually
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the remote work and travel policy for this role?
This position is located in Washington, DC, and requires working on-site to manage infrastructure in Top Secret data centers. Candidates must also be willing to travel domestically and globally in the future when needed, work extended hours and weekends as required, and participate in on-call rotations.
What is the compensation range and total rewards structure?
The pay range for Level 1 is $125,000.00 to $160,000.00, and for Level 2 is $145,000.00 to $195,000.00, determined on a case-by-case basis. Total rewards include long-term incentives in company stock or cash, discretionary bonuses, an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, comprehensive insurance, retirement plans, paid leave, and a 10% differential up to an additional $20,000 annually for those with an active clearance.
What clearance is required for employment?
This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment. While the clearance may not be immediately necessary upon hire, applicants are encouraged to initiate the application process promptly upon accepting the offer.
What are the citizenship or residency requirements?
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations under ITAR, applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, a U.S. lawful permanent resident green card holder, a refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, an asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.