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Software Engineer, Test Infrastructure (Application Software)

Join SpaceX as a Software Engineer to develop and maintain critical test infrastructure for vehicle production and flight software.

Location
Hawthorne, CA
Compensation
$125k–$175k/yr
Level
mid
Type
full time · On-site

Posted by employer 4 months ago

First seen on Joblaze 4 months ago

Last verified on the company career page 8 hours ago

AI in the day-to-day

The team is focused on building out SpaceXAI, improving engineering capacity and capability through AI tooling.

Requirements

Experience
1+ years
Education
Bachelor's degree
Visa
Sponsorship available

Benefits

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

Joblaze summary

In this role, the Software Engineer on the test infrastructure team at SpaceX is responsible for designing and maintaining the testing ecosystem that supports software and hardware validation across flight systems. Key skills include proficiency in C/C++ and Python, along with experience in developing telemetry-based software and understanding continuous integration processes. This position is ideal for engineers with a solid background in software development who thrive in fast-paced environments and enjoy tackling complex challenges. The team is focused on enhancing engineering capabilities through AI tooling, contributing to SpaceX's ambitious mission to enable human life on Mars.

Joblaze insights

  • Listed about 4 months ago — first seen on Joblaze June 10, 2026. Last confirmed on SpaceX's careers page October 29, 2026.
  • Salary band is in line with the typical range for QA roles (median ~$130,000).
  • Starts above 57% of 14 comparable mid qa roles in United States that list Python we track (median $117,500 across 9 companies). See Python salary trends
  • Python appears in 29.1% of 117 comparable mid qa roles in United States; Puppet appears in 0.9% of 117 comparable mid qa roles in United States.

Quick facts

Is the Software Engineer, Test Infrastructure (Application Software) role remote?
No — this is an on-site role in Hawthorne, CA.
What's the salary range?
SpaceX lists $125,000–$175,000 for this role.
How much experience is required?
At least 1 year of relevant experience for this Software Engineer, Test Infrastructure (Application Software) role.
Where is the role based?
SpaceX is hiring for this position in Hawthorne, CA.
What's the tech stack?
Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: Angular, Ansible, C, C++, Docker, Kubernetes.
Does SpaceX sponsor work visas for this role?
Yes — the posting indicates visa sponsorship is available for the right candidate.
What seniority level is this role?
SpaceX targets mid-level candidates for this position.
Is this full-time or contract?
Full-time for this Software Engineer, Test Infrastructure (Application Software) 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.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER, TEST INFRASTRUCTURE (APPLICATION SOFTWARE)

As a Software Engineer on the test infrastructure team, you will design, develop, and maintain SpaceX’s in-house testing ecosystem that powers software and hardware test and validation across all flight systems. You will build and evolve the core test infrastructure framework and supporting applications used for production testing, integration testing, and high-fidelity simulations. The team is focused on building out SpaceXAI, improving SpaceX’s engineering capacity and capability through AI tooling.

This is a high-impact role where you will work across engineering groups to create reliable, scalable, and performant testing tools that accelerate vehicle production and flight software. Our testing software is critical to mission success for all vehicle programs at SpaceX. SpaceX is looking for smart, motivated software engineers who enjoy taking on complex challenges, work well in dynamic environments, and care about software best practices.

Help us build world-class software that is critical to SpaceX’s mission to Mars.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Develop and maintain the core test infrastructure framework and applications used across SpaceX
  • Improve reliability, performance, and safety of test software and infrastructure
  • Work closely with flight software engineers and users across the company to develop new features and improve user experiences
  • Own all aspects of software engineering and product development for test infrastructure
  • Deep dive into users’ problems to find and create efficient solutions

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, math, or scientific discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience building software in lieu of a degree
  • 1+ years of experience with C/C++
  • 1+ years of experience with Python

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Experience developing telemetry-based software
  • Expertise in designing software systems
  • Front-end experience in Angular, React, or similar JavaScript framework
  • Deep understanding of testing, continuous integration, build, deployment & monitoring
  • Understanding of agentic workflows and utilizing AI to improve developer experience
  • Expertise in profiling and improving application performance
  • Experience with build systems (Make and Bazel preferred) and package management tools (pip, npm)
  • Experience with UNIX-like operating systems and tools like Ansible and Puppet for managing them
  • Production experience with Docker, Containerd, LXC, and/or Kubernetes
  • Database experience with PostgreSQL, SQL Server, or similar database technologies

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • You may be asked to work extended hours/weekends dependent on launch cadence
  • This role requires you to be onsite. Remote and/or hybrid work will not be considered

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: 

Pay Range:    
Software Engineer/Level I: $125,000.00 - $150,000.00/per year  

Software Engineer/Level II: $145,000.00 - $175,000.00/per year

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 & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation & 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:

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

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