Principal Software Engineer (Application Software)
About The Position
SpaceX’s application software team develops mission-critical applications used throughout the company to accelerate launch vehicle production and flight, and systems supporting Starlink’s growth as a worldwide internet service. The team is creating and evolving software for rapid Starship build and reuse, next-generation manufacturing software for high-throughput Starlink factories, platforms handling concurrent data streams from always-on assets, and public-facing systems for customers joining Starlink. The team works with engineers across SpaceX to adapt systems for crewed launches, Starship flights, and changes to the Starlink network. The role offers ownership of challenging software and product development problems, from understanding users’ needs through architecture, design, implementation, and review. Engineers build reliable applications and prototypes that help SpaceX operate efficiently and advance its mission. Aerospace experience is not required. This position is onsite; remote and hybrid work are not considered. Extended hours or weekends may be requested depending on launch cadence.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or a scientific discipline and at least 7 years of professional experience building and scaling software; or at least 9 years of professional software-building experience in lieu of a degree.
- At least 5 years of full-stack development experience.
Nice To Haves
- Programming experience in Python, C#.NET, Go, Scala, Java, or a similar object-oriented language.
- Experience building single-page web applications.
- Experience with version control, continuous integration, and continuous delivery concepts.
- Expertise in software systems design.
- Deep understanding of testing, continuous integration, build, deployment, and monitoring.
- Expertise in profiling and improving application performance.
- Experience with build systems such as Make, Bazel, Pants, Buck, or Gradle, and package management tools such as pip or npm.
- Experience with UNIX-like operating systems and tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or Puppet for managing them.
- Experience with in-stream data processing using Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ, or similar technologies.
- Production experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
- Front-end experience with Angular, React, or a similar JavaScript framework.
- Database experience with PostgreSQL, SQL Server, or similar technologies.
Responsibilities
- Develop highly reliable software solutions used across SpaceX.
- Create new applications that improve how SpaceX operates.
- Build prototypes to validate key design concepts and quantify technical constraints.
- Own all aspects of software engineering and product development.
- Investigate users’ problems in depth and develop efficient solutions.
- Contribute to team collaborations on architecture, design, and code reviews.
Benefits
- Potential eligibility for long-term incentives in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards.
- Potential discretionary bonuses.
- Ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
- Comprehensive medical coverage.
- Vision coverage.
- Dental coverage.
- 401(k) retirement plan.
- Short- and long-term disability insurance.
- Life insurance.
- Paid parental leave.
- Various discounts and perks.
- Potential accrual of three weeks of paid vacation.
- Eligibility for 10 or more paid holidays per year.
- Paid sick leave pursuant to company policy.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
