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.
MISSION INTEGRATION ENGINEER, NETWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE (STARSHIELD)
Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.
As a member of our Mission Management team, you will help tackle new technical problems from initial requirements verification through rapid prototyping, integrated test, and operational deployment. You’ll contribute to the performance and execution of satellite programs while specifically focusing on the ground systems and compute infrastructure that drive, manage, and provide user insight into those programs. You will work to shape customer requirements that maximally leverage SpaceX’s capabilities, to drive design choices and work with internal and external stakeholders to drive execution. This work will cover a number of technical disciplines including the planning and deployment of traditional and dedicated compute infrastructure, carrier-grade networking and the secure implementation and execution of each of these discipline areas. Our ideal candidate is a self-starter and is hungry to do work that matters.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Own the architecture design, development, and deployment of critical infrastructure for government satellite programs and secure compute projects.
- Work as the primary customer interface for coordinating and deploying ground infrastructure.
- Manage and expand network interconnections, network co-location sites, points of presence (POPs), and satellite ground stations.
- Manage network infrastructure and deployments to classified data centers.
- Collaborate with customers, and internal engineering resources to improve the Starshield network design.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or other engineering discipline.
- 2+ years of networking experience.
- Professional Layer-1 experience (e.g. transport, DWDM, optical fiber, circuit troubleshooting, activations, etc.).
- Experience bringing up switches, routers, firewalls and/or servers.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
- Deep understanding of service provider networks including but not limited to:
- Connectivity (Ethernet, IPv4, IPv6 and MPLS)
- Routing (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS)
- Switching and routing
- Internet services (subscriber provisioning, BRAS, DNS, DHCP, NTP)
- Experience with physical troubleshooting of fiber & circuits.
- Familiarity with networking protocols and the OSI Model.
- Experience with hardware deployments in classified environments.
- Demonstrated success with projects across multiple technical and non-technical disciplines.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Active Top Secret or Top Secret SCI clearance preferred. Must be willing to pursue a clearance if not already cleared. Note that an active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions. If so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing.
- Must be available to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to support critical milestones or operations shifts.
- Must pass DoD level background checks for entry to various government facilities.
- Willingness to travel (up to 25%).
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay range:
Mission Integration Engineer/Level I: $100,000.00 - $115,000.00/per year.
Mission Integration Engineer/Level II: $110,000.00 - $135,000.00/per year.
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. Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.
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, stock options, 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 & 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. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.
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, electrical engineering, or related discipline
- 2+ years of networking experience
- Professional Layer-1 experience
- Experience bringing up switches, routers, firewalls and/or servers
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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