Sr. Server Hardware Systems Engineer (Starlink)

SpaceX; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX's Starlink division seeks a Sr. Server Hardware Systems Engineer to own the end-to-end hardware lifecycle for the Starlink server fleet. You will triage alerts, isolate component failures, and coordinate on-site repair work with data center staff across multiple time zones.

Build automation and telemetry using BMC and Redfish exporters to scale operations. You will define fleet metrics such as MTTR and failure rates, drive regular stakeholder updates, and validate new server hardware

Qualifications

• 5+ years in systems administration, SRE, or DevOps (or 7+ years without degree).
• 3+ years repairing enterprise server hardware in production.
• 3+ years administering Linux systems.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally; ability to lift 50 lbs.

Responsibilities

• Own hardware repair lifecycle for the Starlink server fleet: triage alerts and isolate component failures.
• Coordinate on-site repair work with data center staff and field technicians across time zones.
• Build automation and telemetry for hardware management (BMC/Redfish) and post‑repair validation.
• Define, measure and report fleet hardware metrics (MTTR, failure rates); provide updates to stakeholders.
• Validate new server hardware through burn-in tests and firmware checks to guide design.

Skills

Linux systems

Server repair

Automation scripting

Telemetry tools

Vendor coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IS/Engineering

Tools

Python

Go

Prometheus

Grafana

IPMI/Redfish

BMC

iLO/IDRAC/OPENBMC

Job description

SpaceX's Starlink division operates a global fleet of servers in data centers and points of presence. This Sr. Server Hardware Systems Engineer role owns the end-to-end hardware lifecycle—from failure detection through repair and recovery for Starlink's server infrastructure, while building automation and telemetry to scale operations efficiently.

What You'll Do

• Own the complete hardware repair lifecycle for the Starlink server fleet: triage alerts, isolate component‑level failures (CPUs, memory, SSDs, NICs, optics, power supplies), coordinate safe removal and return to service
• Manage vendor support cases and coordinate on‑site repair work with data center remote hands and field technicians across multiple time zones
• Build software and automation for hardware telemetry, alerting, diagnostics, production drain/return, and post‑repair validation using BMC and Redfish exporters
• Define, measure, and report fleet hardware metrics including Mean Time to Respond/Repair/Recover, failure rates, and publish regular stakeholder updates
• Validate new server hardware before production deployment through burn-in testing, firmware checks, and use fleet failure data to drive server design and qualification

What You Need

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or engineering discipline with 5+ years in systems administration, SRE, or DevOps (or 7+ years without degree)
• 3+ years of professional experience troubleshooting and repairing enterprise server hardware in production environments
• 3+ years of professional experience administering Linux systems
• Ability to work extended hours, weekends, and on‑call rotations; willingness to travel domestically and internationally; ability to work in data center environments and lift 50lbs

Nice to Have

• 3+ years operating large server fleets in production data center environments
• Hands‑on experience diagnosing and replacing server components (CPUs, DIMMs, NVMe SSDs, NICs, transceivers, power supplies, system boards)
• Experience with baseboard management controllers (HPE iLO, Dell iDRAC, OpenBMC) using Redfish and IPMI
• Proficiency with Linux hardware diagnostics (kernel logs, EDAC, ipmitool, smartctl, nvme-cli, ethtool)
• Software development in Python or Go for production tools and automation
• Experience building monitoring and alerting with Prometheus, Grafana, and Alertmanager; operating Kubernetes clusters
• Experience with server networking, vendor RMA/warranty management, firmware management, UEFI, and secure boot
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to design operational workflows and dashboards for metrics like MTTR