Principal Software Engineer, Continuous Integration (Starship)

Latent AI; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Principal Software Engineer for their Continuous Integration team for Starship. In this role, you will design and maintain systems critical for software development, collaborating with engineers to innovate solutions for the world's first fully reusable rocket and spacecraft. Candidates should possess extensive software engineering experience, a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, and strong problem-solving skills. This role demands high accountability and communication in a dynamic environment, with a preference for fluency in languages like Python and C++.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience.
• Professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree if applicable.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Invent tools and processes for software development.
• Hands-on integration and troubleshooting of the software stack.
• Collaborate across teams for continuous improvement.
• Identify improvement areas and create innovative solutions.

Skills

Software engineering experience

Problem solving

Critical thinking

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, math, or STEM

Tools

Bazel

Python

C++

Rust

Go

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.

PRINCIPAL SOFTWARE ENGINEER, CONTINUOUS INTEGRATION (STARSHIP)

As a Principal Software Engineer on the Starship Continuous Integration team, you will own the tools that power Starship software development. You will design, maintain, and scale the systems which enable hundreds of engineers to integrate their changes and deliver reliable software to all Starship vehicles and launch pads on a continuous basis. This is a high‑autonomy role and we are looking for people who want to work closely with peers, identify the biggest problems facing the team, and own solutions from start to finish!

Aerospace experience is not required to be successful here - rather we look for smart, motivated, collaborative engineers who love solving problems and want to be a force multiplier for building world class software that is critical to SpaceX’s mission to make life multiplanetary.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Invent tools and processes which enable fast and correct software development.
• Hands‑on integration and troubleshooting across the entire Starship software stack.
• Collaborate with counterpart teams to design, maintain, and continuously improve a dedicated pool of on‑premises compute.
• Identify areas for improvement and create innovative solutions that enable the software team to tackle all challenges facing the Starship program as we develop the world’s first fully reusable rocket and spacecraft.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• 7+ years of software engineering experience and a Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, math, or STEM discipline; OR 9+ years of professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Skill with Bazel or similar build systems
• Fluency in Python, C++, Rust, or Go
• Experience building tools and infrastructure that impacts hundreds of engineers daily
• Experience with AI‑assisted development tools and interest in applying AI to improve code quality, testing, and development workflows
• Strong critical thinking and first‑principles problem‑solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Able to work effectively in a dynamic environment while assuming high levels of responsibility and demonstrating accountability for software outcomes

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Willing to work long hours and weekends as needed

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.