Software Engineer, HITL (Top Secret) – High-Impact Flight

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Hawthorne, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, vision, dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Paid parental leave

Stock options

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

3 weeks paid vacation

10+ paid holidays

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Software Engineer in Special Programs to design, develop, and test an in-house HITL/HOOTL analysis, simulation, and prototyping solution for flight systems. You will own new features in a scalable, high-performance application and collaborate across engineering groups to accelerate development and demonstrations of cutting‑edge software and hardware.

The role emphasizes strong software design, full‑stack production web capabilities, and experience with automation, CI/CD, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, or an engineering discipline
• 1+ year of experience in software development, developing applications in languages such as Python, C++, or Java
• Experience with automated testing of hardware in the loop (HITL) or hardware out of the loop (HOOTL) software
• Experience with test automation and CI/CD pipelines

Responsibilities

• Design and implement automated testing for hardware in the loop (HITL) and hardware out of the loop (HOOTL) software to ensure that deliverables meet target design criteria and operate within technical constraints
• Develop full-stack solutions to manage automated testing of vehicle subsystems leveraging simulation and flight software
• Contribute to test automation and CI/CD infrastructure
• Maintain the highest standards of excellence, never settling for the status quo

Skills

Python

C++

Java

HITL/HOOTL testing

CI/CD

Full-stack development

Docker

Kubernetes

Linux/Unix

Postgres/MySQL/Oracle

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Math/Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Jenkins

Bamboo

Ansible

Grafana

Elasticsearch

Postgres

MySQL

Oracle

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Software Engineer in Special Programs to design, develop, and test an in-house HITL/HOOTL analysis, simulation, and prototyping solution for flight systems. You will own new features in a scalable, high-performance application and collaborate across engineering groups to accelerate development and demonstrations of cutting‑edge software and hardware.

The role emphasizes strong software design, full‑stack production web capabilities, and experience with automation, CI/CD, and