Starshield Cyber Defense Lead

SpaceX; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 225,000 - 340,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Long-term incentives

Company stock

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Medical, vision, dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Disability & life insurance

Paid parental leave

3 weeks paid vacation

10+ paid holidays per year

Paid sick leave

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Principal Cybersecurity Engineer (Starshield) to lead a team defending the Starshield network. You will drive cyber defense strategy, perform red-team exercises, and push for rapid vulnerability discovery and remediation while coordinating with other teams to enhance security features.

The role requires hands-on breadth in software and security, with a focus on threat response, and may involve extended hours. SpaceX emphasizes top-secret clearance and competitive compensation.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of cybersecurity for active production systems or 10+ years of cybersecurity experience.
• Experience leading a team of direct reports.
• Experience implementing systems for adversary detection and incident response.

Responsibilities

• Lead a cybersecurity engineering team focused on immediate threat response.
• Implement Starshield cyber defense strategy and run red-team style exercises.
• Lead vulnerability discovery efforts and internal bug hunts using latest tools including AI.
• Improve incident discovery and response in collaboration with internal tools teams.
• Collaborate across teams to deploy security features and detection capabilities.

Skills

Team leadership

Cybersecurity

Threat detection

Incident response

Red Team / Blue Team

Technical communication

Top Secret clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/CE/Security

Advanced technical degree (preferred)

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Principal Cybersecurity Engineer (Starshield) to lead a team defending the Starshield network. You will drive cyber defense strategy, perform red-team exercises, and push for rapid vulnerability discovery and remediation while coordinating with other teams to enhance security features.

The role requires hands-on breadth in software and security, with a focus on threat response, and may involve extended hours. SpaceX emphasizes top-secret clearance and competitive compensation.