AI Engineer, Special Programs
SpaceX · Palo Alto, CA · Starshield AI Engineering
About this role
SpaceX is hiring a mid-level AI Engineer in the machine learning function based in Palo Alto, CA. The posting calls out experience with Python, AWS, GCP, Azure. Compensation is listed at $125,000–$220,000 per year.
- Role
- AI Engineer
- Function
- machine learning
- Level
- mid
- Track
- Individual contributor
- Employment
- Full-time
- Location
- Palo Alto, CA
- Department
- Starshield AI Engineering
More roles at SpaceX
Job description
from SpaceX careersSpaceX 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 of enabling human life on Mars.
AI ENGINEER, SPECIAL PROGRAMS
This team focuses on engineering and deploying AI capabilities (models, APIs, tools, and integrations) for U.S. federal agencies. You'll work closely with product, research, infrastructure, and legal/governance teams to make AI and future models maximally useful for missions while upholding safety, transparency, and ethical standards.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models (e.g., Grok family) and government systems, platforms, and data environments
- Collaborate on custom SDKs, APIs, developer tools, and documentation tailored for government and enterprise developers
- Partner with agency stakeholders to understand requirements, prototype solutions, and iterate rapidly based on real-world feedback
- Ship production-grade code and features with a bias toward speed, simplicity, and measurable impact
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science or another STEM discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- 1+ years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications (strong Python proficiency, other languages a plus)