AI Engineer, Special Programs

InvestedintheMission; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 125,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Employee stock purchase plan

Medical, vision, dental

401(k) retirement plan

Paid parental leave

3 weeks paid vacation

10+ holidays per year

Paid sick leave

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking an AI Engineer, Special Programs to design, build, and deploy AI capabilities for U.S. federal agencies, collaborating across product, research, infrastructure, and governance to ensure safety and transparency.

You will develop integrations, SDKs, APIs, and tooling for government and enterprise developers, delivering production-grade software on tight timelines with a focus on measurable impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or another STEM discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree
• Experience with large language models, generative AI, or agentic systems in research, production, or applied engineering
• Familiarity with government or public sector technology environments (federal civilian agencies, state/local gov, or regulated industries)
• Strong product sensibility: translate ambiguous stakeholder needs into concrete technical solutions
• Demonstrated ability to write clean, maintainable, high-performance code under tight timelines
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and intellectual curiosity
• Excellent communication skills; explain complex concepts clearly
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), or API orchestration
• Background in policy-adjacent technical roles, civic tech, or public-interest technology
• Contributions to open-source AI projects or developer tools

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models and government systems, platforms, and data environments
• Collaborate on custom SDKs, APIs, developer tools, and documentation for government and enterprise developers
• Partner with agency stakeholders to understand requirements, prototype solutions, and iterate rapidly
• Ship production-grade code and features with a bias toward speed, simplicity, and measurable impact

Skills

Python proficiency

LLM experience

Government tech

Product sensibility

Clean code

Communication

Safety governance

Cloud platforms

API orchestration

Education

B.S. in CS or STEM

2+ years software experience

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

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.

AI ENGINEER, SPECIAL PROGRAMS

This team focuses on engineering and deploying AI capabilities (models, APIs, tools, and integrations) for U.S. federal agencies. You'll work closely with product, research, infrastructure, and legal/governance teams to make AI and future models maximally useful for missions while upholding safety, transparency, and ethical standards.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models (e.g., Grok family) and government systems, platforms, and data environments
• Collaborate on custom SDKs, APIs, developer tools, and documentation tailored for government and enterprise developers
• Partner with agency stakeholders to understand requirements, prototype solutions, and iterate rapidly based on real-world feedback
• Ship production-grade code and features with a bias toward speed, simplicity, and measurable impact

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or another STEM discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• 1+ years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications (strong Python proficiency, other languages a plus)
• Experience working with large language models, generative AI, or agentic systems—either in research, production, or applied engineering
• Familiarity with government or public sector technology environments (federal civilian agencies, state/local gov, or regulated industries like healthcare, finance, or infrastructure)
• Strong product sensibility: ability to translate ambiguous stakeholder needs into concrete technical solutions
• Demonstrated ability to write clean, maintainable, high-performance code under tight timelines
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and intellectual curiosity—you thrive on hard, ambiguous challenges
• Excellent communication skills; you can explain complex technical concepts to non-technical partners clearly and concisely
• Prior work on AI safety, governance, red-teaming, or responsible AI deployment
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), or API orchestration
• Background in policy-adjacent technical roles, civic tech, or public-interest technology
• Contributions to open-source AI projects or developer tools

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
• 20% travel may be required to government sites
• This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment. While the clearance may not be immediately necessary upon hire, we encourage you to initiate the application process promptly upon accepting this offer. Your ability to secure the necessary clearance is essential for fulfilling key responsibilities of the role. Should you be unable to obtain it, SpaceX reserves the right to modify or terminate your employment to align with operational needs.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Pay range: AI Engineer: $125,000.00 - $220,000.00/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.

• company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards
• potential discretionary bonuses
• the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
• access to a 401(k) retirement plan
• short and long-term disability insurance
• life insurance
• paid parental leave
• various other discounts and perks
• 3 weeks of paid vacation
• eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year
• Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

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 Affi.

or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [e-mail].