Sr. High Performance Computing (HPC) Systems Engineer
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 of enabling human life on Mars.
SpaceX is looking for an HPC Systems Engineer with strong knowledge and experience in a world class engineering organization. This employee will be a member of the HPC team and will support SpaceX personnel and proprietary systems. The ideal candidate will be flexible and flourish in a fast paced and challenging environment. They should be a self-starter, self-motivator and possess ingenuity to excel at this position.
- Administer and manage HPC clusters, storage systems, and high-speed networks
- Provide application support to SpaceX employees across engineering disciplines
- Install and integrate Linux-based compute clusters
- Write instructional documentation and convey highly technical ideas in non-technical terms
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, math, or scientific discipline and 5+ years of systems engineering experience; OR 7+ years of professional experience building software in lieu of a degree
- 5+ years of hands-on experience with client and server hardware/software, management tools, enterprise networking, virtualization, and security technologies
- Experience with Kubernetes
- 5+ years of professional experience building, deploying and troubleshooting Linux systems
- Experience with a scripting language (Bash, Python) to automate and solve reoccurring tasks
- Experience building, deploying and troubleshooting HPC clusters
- Familiarity with cluster resource managers (Slurm, PBS, LSF)
- Experience with monitoring and alerting technologies (Prometheus, Grafana, Nagios)
- Familiarity with scientific and engineering computing (CFD, FEA)
- Familiarity with large scale AI training
- Familiarity with GPU usage in a compute cluster and Cuda
- Experience with containers (Docker, Podman, Singularity)
- Experience deploying and maintaining automated configuration management software (Puppet, Ansible)
- Comfortable working with mission critical and sensitive systems, with a sense of urgency appropriate to the responsibilities
- Eligibility for access to classified material up to TS/SCI with Polygraph
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
Pay Range:
Sr. HPC Systems Engineer: $165,000.00-$230,000.00/per year
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
- 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 Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.
AND EXPERIENCE
- 5+ years of professional experience building, deploying and troubleshooting Linux systems
- Experience with a scripting language (Bash, Python) to automate and solve reoccurring tasks
- Experience building, deploying and troubleshooting HPC clusters
- Familiarity with cluster resource managers (Slurm, PBS, LSF)
- Experience with monitoring and alerting technologies (Prometheus, Grafana, Nagios)
- Familiarity with scientific and engineering computing (CFD, FEA)
- Familiarity with large scale AI training
- Familiarity with GPU usage in a compute cluster and Cuda
- Experience with containers (Docker, Podman, Singularity)
- Experience deploying and maintaining automated configuration management software (Puppet, Ansible)
- Comfortable working with mission critical and sensitive systems, with a sense of urgency appropriate to the responsibilities
- Eligibility for access to classified material up to TS/SCI with Polygraph
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
Pay Range
Sr. HPC Systems Engineer: $165,000.00-$230,000.00/per year
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
ITAR REQUIREMENTS
- 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 Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.
- How much does the Sr. High Performance Computing (HPC) Systems Engineer at SpaceX pay?
- The posting lists a range of $165K–$230K per year. Ranges reflect what SpaceX publicly declared on the source posting.
- Where is this Sr. High Performance Computing (HPC) Systems Engineer role based?
- The role is based in Hawthorne, CA.
- What experience does SpaceX expect for this role?
- The posting is tagged as a senior-level role, typically 5+ years of experience. Check the requirements section for specifics.
- Where is SpaceX headquartered?
- SpaceX is headquartered in Hawthorne, USA.
- How was this posting sourced?
- This role was pulled directly from SpaceX's Greenhouse careers site. Apply links open in the employer's own ATS — no reposts or aggregator middleware.
Apply links open in the employer's official ATS. Always verify recruitment messages on the company's careers page before sharing personal information.