Sr. IT Operations Engineer

Job description

Sr. IT Operations Engineer

Hawthorne, CA

Apply


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.


SR.

IT OPERATIONS ENGINEER

As a Sr. IT Operations Engineer, you will lead the design, execution, and continuous improvement of SpaceX’s corporate ITSM (Information Technology Service Management), incident, change, and monitoring practices.

You’ll own high‑visibility incidents, mentor peers, and drive data‑driven improvements that raise service reliability across the entire IT organization.

You will contribute to building the foundation of SpaceX’s enterprise systems strategy—supporting initiatives across finance, reliability, change management, and IT operations.



RESPONSIBILITIES:

+ Lead incident response—coordinating multi‑disciplinary teams, ensuring rapid mitigation, root‑cause determination, and executive communications.



+ Govern the change‑management program: refine risk‑assessment criteria, approve complex changes, and enforce post‑implementation reviews.



+ Architect and optimize monitoring and observability strategy across on‑prem, cloud, and SaaS services; standardize alerting, service level objectives, and dashboards.



+ Develop, automate, and maintain trusted Power BI datasets and reports that surface operational KPIs, trends, and capacity forecasts.



+ Analyze operational data to detect systemic issues; champion corrective and preventive actions with service owners.



+ Integrate ITSM, CMDB (configuration management database), automation, and monitoring platforms to streamline workflows and eliminate manual steps.



+ Mentor junior engineers, promote best practices, and present monthly operational performance reviews to leadership.



BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

+ Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline and 3+ years professional experience; OR 6+ years of professional experience in an IT engineering role in lieu of a degree.

+ 5+ years in IT operations, site‑reliability, or infrastructure engineering.



+ 3+ years administering or developing ITSM workflows and metrics (Jira SM, ServiceNow, etc.).



PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

+ Deep knowledge of ITIL frameworks, with proven ownership of incident, change, and problem management programs.



+ Demonstrated success managing high‑severity incidents in mission‑critical environments.



+ Advanced SQL and/or Python skills for building automated analytics pipelines; strong Power BI/Tableau dashboard design.



+ Experience integrating monitoring stacks (Grafana, Prometheus, Datadog, Splunk) with ITSM and notification systems.



+ Background in Lean/Six Sigma, value‑stream mapping, or other continuous‑improvement methodologies.



+ Excellent executive‑level communication and stakeholder‑management abilities.



ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

+ This position is based in Cape Canaveral, FL or Hawthorne, CA and requires being onsite - remote work not considered.



+ Must be able to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to meet major milestones.



+ Must be able to travel - up to 10% work week travel may be required to other sites.



+ Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg.




COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:  

Pay Range:
IT Systems Engineer: $125,000.00 - $175,000.00/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 ITARhere (https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987) .



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.

Required Skill Profession

Other General