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.
OPERATIONS ENGINEER, APPLIED AI (APPLICATION SOFTWARE)
As an Operations Engineer on SpaceX’s team, you will act as a key technical partner. You’ll help internal teams across different programs explore the capabilities of different platforms and design smart, effective strategies for incorporating large language models into their products and infrastructure. This hybrid role blends strong technical depth with strong interpersonal skills to empower different teams within the company to create powerful AI-powered solutions while prioritizing safety and responsible deployment.
You’ll collaborate closely with Sales, Product, and Engineering teams to support them from early exploration all the way through successful implementation. Using your engineering background, you will build practical testing approaches and create robust system designs that deliver meaningful results.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Work alongside internal teams to uncover their needs and design technical approaches that closely align with their goals
- Serve as the main technical point of contact, supporting end-to-end while coordinating with internal teams to ensure strong outcomes
- Build prototypes and proof-of-concept applications that clearly illustrate effective ways to integrate with Spok/Grok
- Advise on system-on-system architecture and support teams in developing advanced applications powered by LLMs – Large Language Models
- Keep current evolving LLM technologies, best practices, and the tools commonly used in fast-moving environments
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in a STEM or engineering discipline
- 1+ years of experience working in engineering or operations/process development
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Hands-on experience supporting cross- functional teams and a solid grasp of their fast-paced environment, limited resources, and specific pain points, specifically in engineering disciplines
- Ability to code along with a track record of developing production-level applications
- Experience with shipping real-world applications using large language models and related machine learning tools to lead cross-functional groups
- Knowledge of common LLM techniques including prompt design, evaluation methods, agent systems, and retrieval architecture
- Previous experience working with AI product design, development, integration, and/or test
- Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and deliver expeditious results across multiple parallel priorities
- Previous experience innovating process improvements, AI integrations, and AI system design in an enterprise setting
- Positive, "can-do" attitude, self-starter, and ability to work in a high-pace dynamic environment
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
- Must be willing to travel up to 25% of the time to visit different sites
- Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg
- This role requires you to be onsite. Remote and/or hybrid work will not be considered
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 a STEM or engineering discipline
- 1+ years of experience in engineering or operations/process development
- Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed
- Willingness to travel up to 25% of the time
- Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg
- Role requires onsite work; remote/hybrid not considered
- ITAR eligibility: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, Refugee, Asylee, or eligible to obtain required authorizations
- Hands-on experience supporting cross-functional teams in engineering contexts
- Ability to code and a track record of developing production-level applications
- Experience shipping real-world applications using LLMs and related ML tools
- Knowledge of prompt design, evaluation methods, agent systems, and retrieval architecture
- Experience with AI product design, development, integration, and/or testing
- Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and deliver across multiple priorities
- Experience innovating process improvements and AI system design in an enterprise setting
- Positive, self-starter attitude and ability to work in a high-pace dynamic environment
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.
