Software Engineer (Starshield Products)
About this role
The Product Operations Engineer, Government Applications Special Programs joins a team focused on deploying and operating AI capabilities, including models, APIs, and tools, for U.S. federal agencies. This role sits at the intersection of AI technology, product development, infrastructure, and legal/governance to ensure AI and future models are maximally effective for space missions while adhering to SpaceX's standards and ethical guidelines. The engineer will be central to maintaining the health, performance, and stability of the services powering these critical missions.
This position requires an individual who enjoys deep-dive troubleshooting and possesses a strong sense of ownership over complex problems, especially those involving customer-facing outages. The role involves proactively improving system reliability, addressing technical debt, and contributing to strategic product investments. It is ideal for someone who thrives on ambiguity, has excellent communication skills to bridge technical and non-technical teams, and is comfortable operating under the urgency of mission-critical situations.
Candidates who are curious, enjoy solving hard technical challenges, and are willing to participate in on-call rotations would find this opportunity rewarding. This role is crucial for ensuring the reliability and utility of SpaceX's AI integrations with government partners.
What you will do
- Own the health, performance, and stability of integrations between frontier AI models and government systems, platforms, and data environments.
- Continuously invest in documentation, metrics, monitors, and other troubleshooting tools to ensure these services remain observable and operable.
- Tackle critical issues for key government customers by responding to automated alerts and investigating reported problems to drive lasting fixes.
- Partner with agency stakeholders and adjacent product teams to understand operational needs, share technical expertise, and iterate based on real-world feedback.
- Address technical debt within essential codebases and inform strategic investments in core products.
- Participate in on-call rotations during business hours and occasional weekends to maintain resilient, high-uptime production systems.
What you need
- A Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or another STEM discipline is required, or two years of professional software development experience can substitute for a degree.
- One plus years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications is necessary.
- Proficiency in Python is a strong requirement, with experience in other languages being beneficial.
- Experience working with large language models, generative AI, or agentic systems, either in research, production, or applied engineering, is preferred.
- One plus years of experience working on enterprise applications serving over 10,000 users across various geographies and time zones is needed.
- Familiarity with government or public sector technology environments, such as federal civilian agencies or regulated industries, is beneficial.
- Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguous stakeholder needs into concrete technical solutions is essential.
- Must possess exceptional problem-solving skills and intellectual curiosity, thriving on difficult, ambiguous challenges.
Nice to have
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)
- Experience with containerization (Docker/Kubernetes)
- Experience with API orchestration
Benefits
- $125,000.00 - $160,000.00 salary range
- Eligibility for long-term incentives, including company stock or long-term cash awards
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the expected work schedule?
Candidates must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed. Participation in on-call rotations during business hours and occasional weekends is expected to maintain production systems.
What is the compensation range for this role?
The pay range is Level 1: $125,000.00 - $160,000.00 and Level 2: $145,000.00 - $195,000.00. The final base salary is determined based on job-related knowledge, skills, education, and experience.
What are the core technologies used in this role?
The tech stack includes Python, experience with large language models like the Grok family, and familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, and Azure, along with containerization tools like Docker and Kubernetes.
What is the hiring process regarding security clearance?
This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment. SpaceX encourages applicants to initiate the application process promptly upon accepting the offer.