IT Security Engineer - Top Secret Clearance

Linuxconfig; Hawthorne (CA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, vision, dental

Paid time off & holidays

Job summary

SpaceX in Hawthorne, CA is seeking an IT Security Engineer with Top Secret clearance to secure classified networks and deliver enterprise security across identity, endpoint protection, SIEM, and vulnerability management.

You will build resilient security controls, partner with IT teams, lead incident response, and drive automation to support mission-critical space programs. The role demands initiative and adaptability in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, cybersecurity, or another STEM discipline; OR 4+ years of professional experience in enterprise IT security engineering in lieu of a degree.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience securing traditional IT environments (identity/MFA, endpoint security, SIEM, vulnerability scanning, email or file services).
• Experience administering or operating at least two of the following: on-premises SIEM, enterprise EDR/AV, enterprise vulnerability management platform.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and operate security controls for classified networks, including identity services and MFA, on-prem SIEM, endpoint protection, and vulnerability mgmt.
• Harden and secure IT services used by engineering staff, review permissions and minimize standing privilege.
• Lead or support detection, triage, and incident response for the classified IT environment.
• Drive automation and scripting to support repeatable security tasks and health checks.

Skills

Identity management

MFA authentication

Endpoint security

SIEM

Vulnerability scanning

Email/File services

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Cybersecurity or STEM

4+ years enterprise IT security exp (in lieu of degree)

Tools

Enterprise EDR/AV

Vulnerability management platform

Job description

IT Security Engineer - Top Secret Clearance

Hawthorne, CA

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.

SpaceX is looking for an IT Security Engineer with deep knowledge and broad experience across enterprise security technologies, in addition to broader experience with identity, endpoint protection, SIEM, and vulnerability management. This employee will be a member of the Information Technology team and will support SpaceX personnel and systems on classified networks. The ideal candidate will be flexible and flourish in a fast-paced and challenging environment. They should be a self-starter, self-motivator, and possessthe ingenuity to excel at this position.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work closely with o ther SpaceX IT administrators and engineers to gather requirements, research, evaluate, design, plan, deploy, and support security solutions and related technologies in a world-class environment that meets the needs of the demanding SpaceX engineering teams. Build highly resilient, high-performance, scalable, and flexible systems.
• Take lessons learned and technology standards from the SpaceX Enterprise and apply them in smaller classified environments.
• Exercise a high degree of responsibility for the processes, systems, and tools you create and manage; all supporting the goal of making humanity an interplanetary species.
• Design, deploy, and operate security controls for classified corporate-style IT networks, including authentication and identity services (hardware tokens, certificate-based authentication, privileged access), on-premises SIEM for logging and detection, endpoint/host protection, and vulnerability management.
• Harden and secure traditional IT services used by engineering staff (email, file servers/shares, directory services, collaboration tools, and internal applications); review and improve permissions, group membership, and access models to reduce standing privilege.
• Partner with systems, network, and application owners to securely design, deploy, and operate applications (authentication/authorization, logging, patching, least privilege).
• Lead or support detection, triage, and incident response for the classified IT environment.
• Make recommendations, justify, and implement improvements using an accepted change control methodology .
• Work within a diverse group to design and deliver creative solutions and resolve problems in a timely and proactive manner by interacting with internal business units.
• Define, document, and follow standards and best practices for systems design, testing, and implementation.
• Drive scripting and automation to develop solutions to common problems and repeatable security tasks (baselines, evidence collection, health checks).

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, cybersecurity, or another STEM discipline; OR 4+ years of professional experience in enterprise IT security engineering in lieu of a degree.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience securing traditional IT environments (identity/MFA, endpoint security, SIEM, vulnerability scanning, email or file services).
• Experience administering or operating at least two of the following: on-premises SIEM, enterprise EDR/AV, enterprise vulnerability management platform.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience securing IT for engineering or corporate users in classified or restricted networks.
• Strong practical experience with hardware-token / FIDO2 / smart-card MFA and directory-integrated identity.
• SIEM administration or detection engineering experience (on-premises).
• Enterprise EDR/AV policy and operations experience.
• Enterprise vulnerability management and remediation workflows.
• Hardening Windows and Linux servers; securing file shares, email gateways, and internal applications.
• Permissions/access reviews, least privilege, and privilege-escalation reduction.
• SOC or blue-team incident response experience on enterprise IT estates.
• Scripting/automation (Python, PowerShell, Bash, Ansible) for security operations.
• Familiarity with NIST 800-53 control families as implemented by IT security engineering.
• Excellent communication skills with IT systems engineers and engineering end users.
• Ability to work independently in a closed environment and deliver durable security operations.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 1: $130,000.00 - $160,000.00
Level 2: $150,000.00 - $195,000.00

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 accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.

• 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 Affefiatve Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [e-mail] .

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in SpaceX’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.