Sr. Hardware / Infrastructure Site Reliability Engineer (Starlink)

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock awards

Discretionary bonuses

401(k) plan

Comprehensive medical coverage

Job summary

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP is seeking a Sr. Hardware / Infrastructure Site Reliability Engineer in Redmond, WA. This role involves developing automation for compute resources and managing core infrastructure like databases, and distributed storage.

The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in systems administration and proficiency in tools such as Terraform and Ansible. We offer a competitive salary range of $165,000 to $230,000, along with stock awards and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in systems administration, site reliability engineering, or DevOps.
• 2+ years of experience with Linux operating systems.
• Experience with Terraform, Ansible, or similar tools.

Responsibilities

• Develop automation to deploy and manage on-premise compute resources.
• Deploy and manage core infrastructure including databases.
• Collaborate with software engineers to design scalable products.

Skills

Linux operating systems

Terraform

Ansible

Docker

Kubernetes

Bash scripting

Python scripting

Go

C++

C

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field

7+ years professional experience in relevant fields

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Sr. Hardware / Infrastructure Site Reliability Engineer (Starlink) – Redmond, WA

SpaceX is developing the technologies to make space exploration possible, with an eye toward enabling human life on Mars. Our Starlink initiative powers the world’s largest satellite constellation, delivering fast, reliable internet to over 9 million users worldwide. We are looking for engineers to help maximize Starlink’s utility for communities and businesses around the globe.

Responsibilities

• Develop automation to deploy and manage on‑premise compute resources.
• Deploy and manage core infrastructure such as databases, monitoring, and distributed storage.
• Collaborate closely with software engineers to design highly scalable, operable, and maintainable products.
• Engage in and improve the entire hardware lifecycle—from inception and design, through deployment, operation, scaling, and retirement.
• Invent tools and processes that enable fast, accurate, and user‑friendly development and deployment systems.
• Perform hands‑on integration and troubleshooting across the complete Starlink stack.
• Create and manage core infrastructure including databases and software libraries.
• Identify improvement opportunities and develop innovative solutions that increase developer velocity.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems/IT, or an engineering discipline and 5+ years of professional experience in systems administration, site reliability engineering, or DevOps; OR 7+ years of professional experience in those areas in lieu of a degree.
• 2+ years of professional experience with Linux operating systems.
• Experience with Terraform, Ansible, or other infrastructure-as-code tools.
• Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Proficiency in Bash, Python, and/or other scripting languages.
• Development experience in Python, Go, C++, or C.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 3+ years of experience with Python and Python‑based development frameworks.
• Strong understanding of operating systems, virtualization, and hypervisor technologies.
• Knowledge of the Linux boot process and system configuration.
• Deep understanding of testing, continuous integration, build, deployment, and monitoring.
• Focus on performance bottlenecks and performance improvement techniques.
• Experience with managing large numbers of servers automatically.
• Strong networking knowledge of TCP/IP.
• Excellent communication skills for interacting with customers, peers, and management.

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to work extended hours, weekends, and other non‑standard schedules as needed.

Compensation and Benefits

Pay Range: Level 3: $165,000 – $230,000 (base salary).

SpaceX offers additional rewards, including stock awards, discretionary bonuses, a 401(k) plan, and comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage. Employees in Washington State accrue paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law. Company shuttles are offered from select Seattle locations to the Redmond office Monday to Friday.

Equal Employment Opportunity

SpaceX is an Equal‑Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and are not influenced by race, color, religion, gender, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic. If you require reasonable accommodation, please contact [e-mail].

Export Compliance

To conform to U.S. government export regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.