Principal Software Engineer, Data (Starshield)

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.

PRINCIPAL SOFTWARE ENGINEER, DATA (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.

The Starshield software team is building highly reliable in-space mesh networks, designing secure systems to guarantee access to space, designing next-gen communication and sensing software, and more. Aerospace experience is not required to be successful here - we want our engineers to bring fresh ideas from all areas. We look for engineers who love solving problems and seek to make an impact on an inspiring mission. As we expand this team, we're looking for versatile, motivated, and collaborative engineers. 

Our team is involved in designing the vehicle systems at every phase of development. We build tools that enable us to work more efficiently, and that help us build software systems that are secure, reliable, and autonomous. Our software engineers are responsible for the life cycle of the software they create, including development, testing, and operational support.   

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Lead and drive the development of cutting-edge machine learning models and algorithms to process data products created by space vehicles
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and understand business requirements and translate them into scalable and efficient data solutions
• Mentor and guide a team of data engineers, providing technical leadership and fostering a culture of excellence
• Research, evaluate, and implement state-of-the-art machine learning techniques and frameworks to improve the performance and accuracy of our models
• Conduct thorough analyses of large datasets to identify patterns, trends, and insights, and use them to drive business decisions
• Stay current with the latest advancements in machine learning and data processing, and proactively bring new ideas and approaches to the team

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• 8+ years of professional experience in machine learning and data engineering with a bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or STEM discipline; OR 10+ years of professional experience in machine learning or data engineering in lieu of a degree
• Development experience in Python, C++, or Java

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• Ph.D. or Master’s in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or STEM discipline
• Experience with data manipulation and analysis using NumPy, Pandas, Spark, or similar
• Experience implementing models with SparkML, PyTorch, scikit-learn, TensorFlow, or similar
• Experience building ETL/ML image processing pipelines
• Experience building geospatial analysis visualizations
• Experience prototyping algorithms with Jupyter, or similar
• Experience building ingestion pipelines with Kubernetes, Kafka, or similar
• Experience building storage infrastructure in a Hadoop ecosystem
• Experience building predictive models (clustering analysis, prediction, anomaly detection)  
• Experience building analysis techniques for data fusion or sensor fusion applications
• Experience building monitoring with Grafana, Splunk, or similar
• Experience building in Linux environments with open-source tools
• Active Top-Secret, Top-Secret SCI, OR ability and willingness to obtain a Top-Secret clearance

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Willing to work extended hours and weekends when needed 
• 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

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:    
   
Pay Range:    
Software Engineer /Principal: $200,000.00 - $270,000.00/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.

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