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.
DATABASE RELIABILITY ENGINEER
SpaceX is looking for a Database Reliability Engineer with strong technical knowledge in Microsoft SQL/ PowerBI technologies as well as excellent interpersonal and communication skills. This employee will be a part of our IT Engineering organization and join a team of database administrators and engineers responsible for all database technologies used throughout SpaceX. The ideal candidate will be flexible, flourish in a fast-paced and challenging environment and have an insatiable desire to learn, solve complex problems and help others. They should be a self-starter, self-motivator, and possess ingenuity to excel at this position. This individual will need to demonstrate strong knowledge in Windows, server/storage infrastructure, and troubleshooting skills.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Partner with internal customers to understand current challenges, plan/communicate improvements and anticipate future needs.
- Perform root cause analysis of production-related database issues.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders to optimize schemas, queries, and database/server configurations.
- Perform data migration / data transformation from OLTP to OLAP systems.
- Develop code to automate routine tasks and provide end user self-service tools by leveraging PowerShell or a similar scripting language.
- Engineer, deploy and maintain all aspects of Microsoft SQL database monitoring.
- Quickly address critical support situations by providing effective solutions to database technical issues.
- Manage PowerBI licensing, utilization, permissions and provide best-practices guidance and query optimization assistance for users.
- Provide comprehensive and fully vetted backup and restore solutions.
- Engineer, implement and routinely test Disaster Recovery (DR) strategies.
- Develop and maintain strong documentation and support runbooks.
- Support and foster the professional growth of other database engineering and administration staff via cross-training, coaching and responsibility sharing.
- Participate in an on-call rotation.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or engineering discipline and 5+ years of experience in IT; OR 7+ years of professional experience with database reliability or DevOps in lieu of a degree.
- 7+ years experience in monitoring and tuning databases to provide highly available and performant services.
- 5+ years experience in optimizing SQL queries and data replication & transformation.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Proficient in SQL Server and at least one other database technology (Postgres, MySQL, ClickHouse).
- Proficient in resiliency and high availability methods for SQL Server, such as SQL Server log shipping, availability groups, database mirroring and replication.
- Expertise in scaling large critical databases with high expectations for uptime and performance.
- Ability to work effectively and provide technical leadership in high-stress situations such as production database outages.
- Knowledge of configuration management automation and limiting the amount of manual toil.
- Knowledge of data structure design and modeling.
- Strong understanding of hardware in relation to SQL server; SAN, Virtualization, and basic networking for troubleshooting.
- Good knowledge of development cycle to interface well with developers.
- Working knowledge of adjacent database technologies (Postgres, ClickHouse, MySQL).
- Strong attention to detail, high degree of accuracy, excellent oral and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to meet deadlines.
- Open to learn new database technologies especially Column-oriented databases.
- Expertise in reporting options (SQL reports, PowerBI, etc.).
- Strong understanding of big data and data warehouse concepts and technologies.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed (to respond to network and server errors after hours).
- This role is an onsite position - remote work or hybrid work will not be considered.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay Range:
Level 3: $135,000.00 - $175,000.00
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
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, information systems, or engineering, plus 8 or more years of IT experience
- Alternatively, 5 or more years of professional experience in database reliability or DevOps in lieu of a degree
- 5 or more years of experience optimizing SQL queries and data replication
- 5 or more years of experience developing monitoring tools and tuning databases
- Expertise in at least two database technologies
- Experience with highly available solutions and clustered environments
- Knowledge of configuration management automation
- Knowledge of data structure design and modeling
- Infrastructure troubleshooting knowledge
- Understanding of software development cycles and developer collaboration
- Experience with Oracle RAC, RMAN, Barman, PGHero, or similar technologies
- Experience working with enterprise resource planning systems
- Working knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server and Windows Server
- Experience with Git and Python
- Machine learning experience
- Big Data experience
- Ability to work extended hours and weekends as needed
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

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