Sr. IT Network Engineer (OT)

Spacex; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Senior Operational Technology Network Engineer to design and support large-scale OT networks for production, test, and site operations. You will balance performance and redundancy while collaborating with cross-functional teams on network designs for high-reliability facilities.

The role requires onsite work with extended hours and travel as needed, leveraging Cisco/Arista/Juniper gear, SD-WAN, and scripting for automation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or STEM field with 5+ years of network engineering experience, or 8+ years of experience with HS diploma.
• Experience in industrial OT environments and manufacturing networks preferred.
• CCNA/CCNP/CCIE, JNCIS/JNCIP/JNCIE certifications are desirable.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement large-scale, highly available OT networks for production and test.
• Plan outages with stakeholders for software and hardware updates.
• Provide on-call support during launches and testing campaigns.
• Develop network automation tooling and configuration deployment workflows.
• Create and maintain network documentation and diagrams.

Skills

Network design

Troubleshooting

On-call support

Automation tooling

Documentation

Stakeholder coordination

Industrial OT networks

OSI model

Scripting

Linux administration

Windows administration

Network security

Vendor experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or STEM field

8+ years of network engineering experience with HS diploma in lieu of degree

Tools

Cisco switches

Arista switches

Juniper switches

SD-WAN appliances

WDM & fiber optics

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 ofenabling human life on Mars.

SR. IT NETWORK ENGINEER (OT)

SpaceX is looking for a Senior 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 large-scale, 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 5+ years of professional network engineering experience; OR 8+ 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.
• Expert 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, CCIE, JNCIS, JNCIP, or JNCIE.

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.
• 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].

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in SpaceX’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.