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.
NETWORK ENGINEER (STARLINK COMMUNITY GATEWAY)
Starlink Community Gateway delivers 10 Gbps via Dedicated Internet Access or IP Transit to the most remote places on Earth. See more at starlink.com/community-gateway. As a network engineer on the Starlink Community Gateway team you will define, build, and deploy key product features and capabilities that unlock new use cases and advance global connectivity. To succeed in this role, you must be a technically excellent first principles problem solver. You must be a self-starter and have a passion for making things work in high-impact situations.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Work directly with the Community Gateway hardware and customers to improve performance, reliability, and to resolve technical issues when they arise
- Provide sales teams with pre-sales support, acting as the technical subject matter expert and engineering representative for Community Gateways in customer interactions and proposal review
- Develop processes and guides to streamline customer integration with the Starlink network and equipment
- Collaborate with hardware, software, network, and business operations teams to define and implement product requirements and capabilities that address Community Gateway customer needs
- Directly support activation of new installations from initial connectivity through customer integration and scaling
- Travel to customer sites for to support installation, troubleshooting, and integration of Community Gateway systems
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering or STEM discipline; OR 2+ years of professional networking experience in lieu of a degree
- 1+ years of networking experience deploying enterprise network solutions and/or cloud & web-scale networks
- Professional experience with the deployment of networking hardware (Routers, Modems, Switch, Firewalls, etc..)
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
- Background in network engineering and deploying network technologies in customer environments including:
- Understanding of core networking concepts from layer 1 through layer 3 and network protocols such as IPv4, IPv6, DHCP, NAT, NTP, IPsec VPN, etc.
- Knowledge of routing technologies (such as MPLS, SD-WAN, SATCOM, etc) and WAN architectures
- Understanding of backhaul, cloud, and ISP networking technologies such as dedicated interconnects, peering, BGP, etc
- Ability to perform network troubleshooting including analyzing customer network captures and Starlink hardware telemetry to root cause network integration issues
- Ability to identify technical improvements in support of a mission and coordinate an interdisciplinary team to deliver
- Experience in software engineering or experience directly working with software engineering teams
- Experience at an early-stage technology startup or program that scaled rapidly
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- Must be available to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to support critical milestones or operations shifts
- Must be willing to travel to other SpaceX offices, vendors, partners, and customers as necessary
Pay Range:
Level 1: $125,000.00 - $150,000.00
Level 2: $145,000.00 - $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 in Washington State accrue paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law. Company shuttles are offered to employees for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office Monday to Friday.
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 an engineering or STEM discipline OR 2+ years of professional networking experience in lieu of a degree
- 1+ years of networking experience deploying enterprise network solutions and/or cloud & web-scale networks
- Professional experience with deployment of networking hardware (Routers, Modems, Switches, Firewalls)
- Understanding of core networking concepts (Layer 1-3) and protocols such as IPv4, IPv6, DHCP, NAT, NTP, IPsec VPN
- Knowledge of routing technologies and WAN architectures (MPLS, SD-WAN, SATCOM)
- Understanding of backhaul, cloud, and ISP networking technologies such as dedicated interconnects, peering, BGP
- Ability to perform network troubleshooting including analyzing customer network captures and Starlink hardware telemetry
- Experience in software engineering or working directly with software engineering teams
- Experience at an early-stage technology startup or program that scaled rapidly
- Must be available to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed
- Must be willing to travel to other SpaceX offices, vendors, partners, and customers as necessary
- Must meet ITAR eligibility: U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, Refugee, Asylee, or be eligible for required Department of State authorizations
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.
