SpaceX

Aerospace

AIEngineer,SpecialProgramsTopSecretClearance

$125–220k Palo Alto, California, United States; Zurich, Switzerland; London, United Kingdom
The Brief

“AI Engineer, Special Programs - Top Secret Clearance at SpaceX. Skills: AI, Software engineering, Model deployment, Government systems. Design integrations. Build integrations”

What You'll Achieve.

Make models maximally useful for missions; Uphold safety standards; Uphold transparency standards; Uphold ethical standards; Ensure compliance with customer standards; Ensure reliability; Ensure audibility; Speed; Simplicity; Measurable impact

Industry & Context.

Aerospace
Problems you'll solve

Address model weaknesses; Optimize system performance; Scale solutions

Eligibility Requirements

Top Secret Clearance, Work extended hours, Work weekends, 20% travel to government sites, U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, Refugee, Asylee

What They're Looking For.

Must Have

Bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, computer engineering, physics, or data science, 1+ years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications, Active Top-Secret or Top-Secret SCI

Nice to Have

Demonstrated success working with government agencies, DoW, or federal contractors on AI, software, or data projects, 6+ years of software engineering experience, ideally in environments requiring high reliability or security, Expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining robust, scalable, and secure AI-driven solutions that meet stringent compliance and operational standards, Proven experience implementing AI or machine learning products with APIs, back-end systems, and front-end interfaces, Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript, understanding of the HTTP protocol and secure API design, Robust engineering background, preferably in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, or Data Science, Experience building evaluation frameworks for AI systems and assessing capabilities in regulated or high-stakes contexts, Deep understanding of machine learning fundamentals—model evaluation, training, and fine-tuning—with a focus on production-ready deployments, History of deploying machine learning models to production, ideally in secure or cloud-based government environments, Expertise in writing developer documentation or maintaining SDKs for technical audiences, including government developers, Ability to work with massive datasets, optimize system performance, and scale solutions for high-throughput, mission-critical workloads, Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Pulumi or Terraform, particularly in secure or government-aligned deployments, Adaptability to shifting priorities and requirements in a fast-paced, mission-driven startup setting, Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, with experience documenting technical solutions for diverse stakeholders, Active Top-Secret or Top-Secret SCI with a full scope polygraph

What You'll Do.

Optimize integrations

Scope product specifications

Design AI-powered software

Build AI-powered software

Develop evaluation frameworks

Enhance model performance

Build internal tooling

Ship production-grade code

How You'll Work.

Team & Collaboration

Work closely with product teams; Work closely with research teams; Work closely with infrastructure teams; Work closely with legal/governance teams; Partner with agency stakeholders

Communication Scope

Excellent verbal communication; Excellent written communication; Document technical solutions

Free ATS check

Applying for this AI Engineer, Special Programs - Top Secret Clearance role?

Most applicants get filtered before a human reads their resume. See if yours makes the cut.

How to Apply on Greenhouse

  • Create a Greenhouse profile before applying — it saves time across multiple applications.
  • Upload your resume as a PDF; the parser handles it better than Word.
  • Answer all knockout questions carefully — wrong answers auto-reject before a human sees you.
  • Enable email notifications to track application status in real time.

ANONYMOUS · UNFILTERED

What do employees actually say about SpaceX?

Real rants from real employees. Read before you apply.

Read Company Rants →