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SpaceX · 6 hours ago

Principal Software Engineer, Vehicle Engineering

Hawthorne, CA

Full-time

Hybrid

Lead/Staff

$200K/yr - $270K/yr

8+ years exp

SpaceX is a pioneering aerospace company focused on enabling human life on Mars through innovative technologies. The Principal Software Engineer for AI in Vehicle Engineering will lead the integration of AI systems in engineering workflows, collaborating with various teams to enhance production and operational efficiency while ensuring safety and reliability.

Advanced MaterialsAerospaceManufacturingNational SecuritySpace Travel

Growth Opportunities

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Architect end-to-end AI systems that integrate with engineering workflows, from design and simulation to manufacturing, testing, and operations for launch vehicles and spacecrafts

Leverage LLMs and other AI technologies to develop software toolsets that automate repetitive tasks, enhance data-driven insights, and accelerate production cycles

Collaborate with Propulsion, Structures, Dynamics, GNC, Avionics, Software, production, and supply chain teams to identify bottlenecks and co-design AI solutions that ensure unified architecture

Exercise technical leadership and soft influence to align diverse teams on AI standards, best practices, and scalable implementations, fostering a cohesive ecosystem

Prototype and iterate on AI-driven tools for real-time flight data analysis, predictive maintenance, and re-flight optimization, quantifying impact on engineering efficiency

Develop secure, reliable AI pipelines that adhere to SpaceX data policies, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and agentic workflows tailored to aerospace challenges

Guide the evaluation and integration of emerging AI technologies, ensuring they enhance responsible engineering practices while maintaining accountability and safety

Mentor junior engineers and drive cross-team knowledge sharing to build organizational AI maturity

Qualification

AI system architectureLLM technologiesAerospace engineeringMachine learningPredictive modelingCross-functional collaborationMentoringTechnical leadership

Required

Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, or a related field; OR 10+ years of professional experience in lieu of a degree

8+ years of experience in the design, build, and operations of launch vehicles or complex aerospace systems in a classical engineering context (e.g., propulsion, structures, or systems integration)

Must be available to work extended hours and weekends when needed to meet critical deadlines

Ability to travel as needed to support integration with production and launch sites

Preferred

Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority, guiding technical architecture in collaborative environments

Proven track record in high-stakes environments, such as launch vehicle operations, rapid prototyping, or supply chain optimization

Hands-on development of agentic AI workflows for automation in engineering or manufacturing contexts

Experience with machine learning for time-series analysis, simulation acceleration, or predictive modeling in aerospace applications (e.g., using PyTorch, TensorFlow, or similar)

Advanced experience with AI/ML technologies, including building LLM-based systems with RAG (e.g., using LlamaIndex or LangChain) and/or fine-tuning models on domain-specific data