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Sr. IT Systems Administrator, Mission Systems

Support the IT infrastructure for launch operations at SpaceX, ensuring high availability and optimal systems performance.

Location
Vandenberg, CA, United States
Compensation
$95k–$150k/yr
Level
senior
Type
full time

Posted by employer 2 days ago

First seen on Joblaze 1 day ago

Last verified on the company career page 1 day ago

What you'll build

  • Design IT infrastructure
  • Provide IT support during launches
  • Perform systems upgrades and maintenance
  • Monitor IT services
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams

Must have

  • 5+ years of experience in IT systems administration
  • Experience with Linux and Windows server administration
  • Experience designing and supporting enterprise networks

Nice to have

  • Working knowledge of network protocols
  • Proficiency in scripting and automation frameworks
  • Experience with virtualization platforms
  • Experience supporting real-time systems

Practical constraints

  • Ability to pass DoD background check
  • Willingness to participate in on-call rotation
  • Willingness to travel up to 20%

Requirements

Experience
5+ years
Education
High school

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

Benefits

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

Joblaze summary

The Sr. IT Systems Administrator at SpaceX plays a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing the IT infrastructure that supports launch operations, ensuring high availability and performance during critical missions. This position requires expertise in both Linux and Windows server administration, as well as experience with enterprise networking and automation tools. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in IT systems administration, particularly in high-reliability environments like aerospace or defense. The role demands flexibility, including after-hours support and potential travel, reflecting the fast-paced nature of SpaceX's mission.

Joblaze insights

  • Listed yesterday — first seen on Joblaze September 26, 2026. Last confirmed on SpaceX's careers page September 26, 2026.
  • Salary band is below the typical range for comparable tech roles (median ~$126,887).
  • Starts above 2% of 241 comparable senior other roles in United States that list Python we track (median $150,000 across 53 companies). See Python salary trends
  • Python appears in 16.2% of 2315 comparable senior other roles in United States; Puppet appears in 0.2% of 2315 comparable senior other roles in United States.

Quick facts

What's the salary range?
SpaceX lists $95,000–$150,000 for this role.
How much experience is required?
At least 5 years of relevant experience for this Sr. IT Systems Administrator, Mission Systems role.
What's the tech stack?
Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: Active Directory, Ansible, DHCP, DNS, Linux, NTP.
What seniority level is this role?
SpaceX targets senior candidates for this position.
Is this full-time or contract?
Full-time for this Sr. IT Systems Administrator, Mission Systems 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.

SR. IT SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR, MISSION SYSTEMS

SpaceX is looking for a highly skilled and versatile Launch Sr. IT Systems Administrator to support the networking, compute, and application support needs of our launch environment. This role is critical to enabling safe, reliable, and high-cadence launch operations across multiple sites. The ideal candidate thrives in mission-critical settings, brings a strong sense of urgency balanced with operational excellence, and is comfortable operating as a technical generalist across multiple IT disciplines.

 RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Design, deploy and augment IT infrastructure including networking, server, and desktop hardware that directly supports mission-critical networks across the country.
  • Provide direct IT support during launch and test campaigns.
  • Perform periodic systems upgrades and maintenance in between critical operations, sometimes on weekends and evenings.
  • Proactively monitor IT services and respond rapidly to incidents to ensure high availability and optimal systems performance.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to proactively identify and resolve potential technical issues with systems deployments.
  • Author and maintain documentation for IT systems, including systems overview, design drawings and operational procedures.
  • Leverage automation tools and contribute to broader IT systems engineering and infrastructure-as-code initiatives.
  • Ensure that systems are configured and maintained in compliance with industry and cybersecurity standards (e.g. ITAR, ISO, NIST).

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
  • 5+ years of experience in IT systems administration.
  • Experience with both Linux and Windows server administration.
  • Experience designing, deploying, supporting and troubleshooting enterprise networks.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Working knowledge of network protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, SNMP, NTP, PTP etc.), firewall administration and cybersecurity technologies.
  • Proficiency in scripting (Bash/Powershell/Python) and automation frameworks (Terraform, Ansible, Puppet).
  • Familiarity with Active Directory and multi-platform authentication/identity environments.
  • Experience with virtualization platforms and tools.
  • Understanding of Layer 1 configuration best practices and multiplexing technologies.
  • Working knowledge of Windows-based systems and services, including the ability to set up, configure, upgrade, manage, and troubleshoot said infrastructure.
  • Ability to administer and troubleshoot Linux-based systems and services through command line.
  • Experience supporting real-time systems, industrial control networks, or operational technology (OT) environments in aerospace, defense, energy, or similar high-reliability industries.
  • Experience with configuration management, provisioning, infrastructure as code, CI/CD pipelines and other DevOps concepts/tools.
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate with internal/external customers, vendors, management etc. in both formal and informal situations.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Ability to pass DoD background check for launch site access.
  • Willingness to participate in an after-hours on-call rotation and work extended hours or weekends as necessary.
  • Willingness to travel (up to 20%, including flying to other sites worldwide) and potential time at sea supporting marine systems.
  • Ability to lift 30 lbs.
  • Ability to work at heights.
  • Ability to drive (active valid driver’s license).

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 1: $95,000.00 - $120,000.00
Level 2: $115,000.00 - $150,000.00

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.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

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

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