OT Network Engineer

Starlink; College Station (TX); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking an Operational Technology (OT) Network Engineer to design and support industrial and OT networks for production, test, site operations, and live data center builds. You will work with routing, switching, and wireless in high-reliability environments and document work in a ticketing system.

The ideal candidate communicates well, multitasks, resolves issues proactively, and thrives in a fast-paced high-tech setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or other STEM discipline; 3+ years of professional network engineering experience; OR 5+ years of experience with a high school diploma or equivalency in lieu of a degree.
• Experience in industrial/OT environments and knowledge of OSI model and networking standards.
• Certifications such as CCNA/CCNP/JNCIS/JNCIP or equivalent preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design highly available networks for production, test, and site requirements.
• Validate scalable multi-site OT network topologies for critical facilities.
• Deploy switches, firewalls, multiplexing, and SD-WAN appliances.
• Develop automation tooling and configuration deployment processes.
• Coordinate outages with stakeholders for software updates and maintenance.
• Provide on-site networking support during launches and tests.
• Create network documentation including architecture drawings and data flow diagrams.

Skills

OT network engineering

Cisco/Arista/Juniper

Scripting (Bash/PowerShell/Python)

Linux administration

Windows administration

Network security basics

On-call support

Education

Bachelor's in engineering

Tools

Cisco switches

Arista switches

Juniper routers

SD-WAN appliances

OT network monitoring tools

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.

OT NETWORK ENGINEER

SpaceX is looking for an Operational Technology (OT) Network Engineer with experience in routing, switching, and wireless in industrial network environments. This employee will be a member of the IT Network Engineering team, which is responsible for maintaining a stable, reliable, and diverse network. This network supports the design, manufacturing, and launching of rockets, spacecraft, satellites, and human spaceflight. This position will design and support industrial and OT networks for production, test, site operations, and live data center build environments. The ideal candidate will be a great communicator, able to document work in a ticketing system, excel at multi-tasking, resolve issues to prevent failures, and enjoy a fast-paced high-tech environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design and implement highly available networks, balancing routing and redundancy for production, test, and site requirements.
• Design and validate resilient, scalable multi-site OT network topologies for critical facilities.
• Evaluate, procure, and deploy network hardware: switches, firewalls, multiplexing, and SD-WAN appliances.
• Develop and contribute to network automation tooling, including configuration analysis and scalable deployment.
• Plan and coordinate network outage windows with stakeholders for software updates, hardware refreshes, and maintenance.
• Troubleshoot and resolve network issues. Publish root-cause analysis and host retrospective reviews.
• Provide networking support during launch and test campaigns, including on-call or real-time support as the networking responsible engineer.
• Tune network monitoring for operational telemetry and issue detection before impact.
• Create and update network documentation: architecture overviews, design drawings, and operational procedures.
• Work with cross-functional teams on network designs, including failure modes and redundancy.
• Perform job walks with customers, vendors, and contractors to gather requirements and create implementation plans.
• Segment industrial networks from campus and corporate networks. Maintain controls-network segmentation.
• Author system and network architecture drawings, IP/VLAN schemes, and data flow diagrams.
• Support on-site deployment, physical network cutovers, and new site commissioning.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or other STEM discipline and 3+ years of professional network engineering experience; OR 5+ years of professional network engineering experience and high school diploma or equivalency certificate in lieu of a degree.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Industrial, utility, or operational technology network engineering experience.
• Understanding of the OSI model and network standards.
• Cisco, Arista, and Juniper data center-class switches.
• Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM) and fiber optics infrastructure.
• Enterprise and media protocols.
• Switch port security features, network segmentation, QoS, multicast, and redundancy protocols.
• Network monitoring tools and layer-1 testing tools.
• Scripting (Bash, PowerShell, Python) and automation frameworks (Terraform, Ansible).
• Linux and Windows system administration.
• GitOps and infrastructure as code, as a user and as a contributor.
• Layer 2 and Layer 3 design, deployment, and troubleshooting in latency-sensitive or industrial environments.
• Functional experience with multiple network vendors in production or lab environments.
• Hands-on configuration of managed industrial switches and routers.
• Real-time systems, industrial control networks, or OT environments in aerospace, defense, energy, oil and gas, or similar high-reliability industries.
• Industry-standard certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, JNCIS, or JNCIP.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• This role requires you to be onsite. Hybrid or remote work will not be considered.
• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
• Must have a valid driver's license.
• Ability to lift heavy objects up to 35 lbs. unassisted.
• Ability to provide 24x7 on-call support in emergency situations and participate in an after-hours on-call rotation.
• Willingness to occasionally travel to other sites to support new company initiatives.

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