SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
DATA ENGINEER, HARDWARE RELIABILITY (STARLINK)
SpaceX is leveraging our experience building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world’s largest satellite constellation and most advanced broadband internet system. We provide reliable and fast internet to millions of users worldwide, including populations with little or no connectivity, rural communities, aircraft, watercraft, and places where existing services are unreliable, too expensive, or disconnected by natural disasters. We design, build, test, and operate all parts of the system, thousands of satellites and millions of consumer antennae that allow users to connect within minutes of unboxing. The Starlink team is seeking out the best-in-class professionals to maximize Starlink’s potential for communities and businesses around the globe.
As a Data Engineer for the Starlink Reliability team, you will build the data pipelines, software systems, and analytical tools to improve the reliability of Starlink customer hardware (dishes, routers, power supplies, cables). You will develop the systems and processes needed to reduce failures as we launch new products and scale the network.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Build and maintain critical data engineering infrastructure, tools, processes, and custom software to objectively increase the reliability of Starlink customer hardware
- Contribute to critical Starlink software repositories, working in core internal and customer-facing codebases to deliver high-impact technical outcomes for the business
- Create custom data pipelines, infrastructure, and analytics tools that will be used by internal teams and stakeholders to monitor, analyze, and impact business outcomes
- Consistently contribute effort, leadership, and creative thinking to solving complex problems in a collaborative fashion under tight deadlines
- Build relationships and collaborate across disciplines including engineering, production, test, inventory, quality, supply chain, and customer experience to drive positive business outcomes
- Work effectively in a dynamic environment that includes working with changing needs and requirements
- Identify customer needs, gather requirements, and execute independently
- Take on projects that require initiative and developing new expertise
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, mathematics, or other STEM discipline
- 4+ years of professional experience in data or software engineering
- Strong proficiency in Python, SQL, Bash scripting, or Git
- Familiar with at least one additional programming language (e.g. Java, Scala, C++, C#)
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Master’s degree in computer science, data science, mathematics, or other STEM discipline (or PhD with 3+ years of relevant experience)
- Strong understanding of software engineering fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, system design, concurrency, and writing high-performance, maintainable code
- Strong data engineering fundamentals – relational databases, data pipeline development, orchestration, and data infrastructure
- Strong analytical skills: statistical analysis, data visualization, and quantitative reasoning
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to make presentations to engineers, team members, internal customers, and management
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- This position is based in Bastrop, TX (Austin area) and requires being on-site; hybrid or remote work not considered
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
- Must be willing to travel up to 10%
ITAR 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. Learn more about the ITAR here.
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected].
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, data science, mathematics, or another STEM discipline
- 4+ years of professional experience in data engineering or software engineering
- Strong proficiency in Python, SQL, Bash scripting, or Git
- Familiarity with at least one additional programming language, such as Java, Scala, C++, or C#
- Must work on-site in Bastrop, Texas; hybrid or remote work is not considered
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
- Must be willing to travel up to 10%
- Must meet ITAR eligibility requirements or be eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations
- Master's degree in computer science, data science, mathematics, or another STEM discipline
- PhD with 3+ years of relevant experience
- Strong understanding of software engineering fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, system design, concurrency, and maintainable high-performance code
- Strong data engineering fundamentals, including relational databases, pipeline development, orchestration, and data infrastructure
- Strong analytical skills in statistical analysis, data visualization, and quantitative reasoning
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation ability
SpaceX Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about SpaceX and has not been reviewed or approved by SpaceX.
-
Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants are a core part of total compensation, with periodic company-run tender offers that create liquidity before any public listing. These mechanisms can make the equity component feel materially valuable in practice.
-
Healthcare Strength — The package includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with on-site clinics and health resources at major sites. This breadth of coverage is presented as a strong element of the offering.
-
Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Major locations feature on-site amenities such as fitness facilities, food/coffee, clinics, and other conveniences. These lifestyle perks enhance day-to-day value alongside cash and equity.
SpaceX Insights
What We Do
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary. SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.
