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Site Reliability Engineer, Kubernetes Platform (Top Secret Clearance)

Join SpaceX as a Site Reliability Engineer to design scalable systems for classified IT operations with a focus on Kubernetes.

Location
Hawthorne, CA
Compensation
$145k–$195k/yr
Level
mid
Type
full time

Posted by employer 1 month ago

First seen on Joblaze 1 month ago

Last verified on the company career page 1 day ago

Skills & Technologies

What you'll build

  • Develop automation to deploy and manage compute resources
  • Build, maintain, and scale on-premises hardware systems
  • Deploy and manage core infrastructure
  • Collaborate with software engineers
  • Engage in the lifecycle of services

Must have

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field
  • 1+ year of experience with Kubernetes
  • 1+ year of experience with Linux operating systems
  • Experience in Bash, Python, and/or other scripting languages
  • Active Top Secret clearance

Nice to have

  • Experience with systems administration
  • Experience with Python-based development frameworks
  • Experience with virtualization and hypervisor technologies
  • Knowledge of performance bottlenecks
  • Excellent communications skills

Practical constraints

  • Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
  • Active clearance may require drug testing

Requirements

Experience
2+ years
Education
Bachelor's degree

Not disclosed in this posting: work arrangement, visa sponsorship.

Benefits

401k Match Paid Vacation Equity/Stock Options Paid Holidays Health Insurance Parental Leave

Joblaze summary

The Site Reliability Engineer for the Kubernetes Platform at SpaceX focuses on designing and maintaining scalable systems to support data products, ensuring their security and reliability throughout their lifecycle. Key skills include experience with Kubernetes, Linux, and scripting languages like Bash and Python, along with a strong background in cloud and on-premises systems management. This role is suited for individuals with a degree in computer science or related fields, or equivalent experience, particularly those with a Top Secret clearance. The position is part of a classified IT Systems Engineering team, emphasizing collaboration with software engineers to enhance operational effici

Joblaze insights

  • Listed about a month ago — first seen on Joblaze September 26, 2026. Last confirmed on SpaceX's careers page November 12, 2026.
  • Salary band is below the typical range for DevOps/SRE roles (median ~$165,000).
  • Starts above 75% of 55 comparable mid devops/sre roles in United States that list Python we track (median $125,000 across 21 companies). See Python salary trends
  • Python appears in 62.7% of 134 comparable mid devops/sre roles in United States; bash appears in 29.1% of 134 comparable mid devops/sre roles in United States.

Quick facts

What's the salary range?
SpaceX lists $145,000–$195,000 for this role.
How much experience is required?
At least 2 years of relevant experience for this Site Reliability Engineer, Kubernetes Platform (Top Secret Clearance) role.
What's the tech stack?
Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: Kubernetes, Linux, Python, bash.
What seniority level is this role?
SpaceX targets mid-level candidates for this position.
Is this full-time or contract?
Full-time for this Site Reliability Engineer, Kubernetes Platform (Top Secret Clearance) role at SpaceX.

From the original posting

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.

SITE RELIABILITY ENGINEER, KUBERNETES PLATFORM (TOP SECRET CLEARANCE)

As a member of the Classified IT Systems Engineering team, the Site Reliability Engineer is involved in designing scalable systems capable of supporting a growing volume of data products being generated in mass. We build tools that enable us to work more efficiently, and that help us build software systems that are secure, reliable, and autonomous. Our engineers are responsible for the life cycle of the systems they create, including development, testing, and operational support.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Develop automation to deploy and manage compute resources both on-premises and in the cloud
  • Build, maintain, and scale on-premises hardware systems designed to host GPU-accelerated machine learning workloads
  • Deploy and manage core infrastructure such as databases, monitoring and storage
  • Closely collaborate with software engineers to create highly scalable, operable and maintainable products
  • Engage in and improve the whole lifecycle of services -- from inception and design, through deployment, operation and refinement

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or an engineering discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software, DevOps, or site reliability engineering in lieu of a degree
  • 1+ year of experience with Kubernetes
  • 1+ year of experience with Linux operating systems
  • Experience in Bash, Python, and/or other scripting languages
  • Experience building, maintaining, and scaling on-premises and/or cloud systems
  • Active Top Secret, Top Secret SCI, or DOE Level Q clearance

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Experience hosting and pushing the state of the art in inferential model benchmarks
  • Experience with systems administration, site reliability engineering, or DevOps engineering
  • Experience with Python and Python-based development frameworks
  • Experience with virtualization and hypervisor technologies
  • Experience with automatically managing dozens or hundreds of servers
  • Knowledge of performance bottlenecks and performance improvement techniques
  • Excellent communications skills with the ability to communicate with customers, peers, management etc. in both formal and informal situations
  • Ability to quickly learn new tools and frameworks.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • An active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; if so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing
  • Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 3: $145,000.00 - $195,000.00

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 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.

Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

Standard company text repeated across SpaceX's postings is omitted here.