Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Spaceport Facilities)

Spacex; Starbase (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking an Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Spaceport Facilities) in Starbase, TX. You will partner with internal teams to explore platforms and craft practical testing and system designs for integrating large language models into products and infrastructure.

You will build prototypes, advise on LLM-based architectures, and stay current with evolving AI tech, ensuring safety and responsible deployment across programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• 2+ years of experience in engineering or operations/process development.

Responsibilities

• Proactively identify operational challenges and develop solutions.
• Work with internal teams to design technical approaches aligned with goals.
• Serve as the main technical point of contact across teams.
• Build prototypes and proof-of-concept apps showing LLM integrations.
• Advise on system architecture for LLM-powered applications.
• Keep current with evolving LLM technologies and tools.

Skills

LLM techniques

Cross-functional teamwork

AI system design

Python

SQL

Power BI

Tableau

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

SQL

Python

Power BI

Tableau

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.

OPERATIONS ENGINEER, APPLIED AI (SPACEPORT FACILITIES)

As an Operations Engineer at SpaceX, you will act as a key technical partner by helping 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 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 Production, Facilities, Finance, & Experience 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:

• Proactively identify operational challenges/inefficiencies within the organization, determine root cause, and develop appropriate solutions
• 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 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 an engineering discipline
• 2+ 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
• Knowledge of common LLM techniques including prompt design, evaluation methods, agent systems, and retrieval architecture
• Previous experience innovating process improvements, AI integrations, and AI system design in an enterprise setting
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and deliver expeditious results across multiple parallel priorities
• Experience building reporting tools using SQL, Python, Power BI, Tableau, or similar
• 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
• This position is based in Starbase, TX and requires being onsite - remote work not 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 Aff... or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [e-mail].