Principal Software Engineer, Continuous Integration

About the role

You will lead the development of infrastructure and tooling that supports the Starship software ecosystem. This position involves designing and scaling systems that allow hundreds of engineers to integrate code and deploy updates to vehicles and launch pads. You will own the architecture and delivery of the continuous integration platform that underpins critical engineering workflows. The role requires close collaboration with software, integration, and test teams to ensure tooling meets the demands of rapid development cycles. You will drive improvements that enhance developer productivity and system reliability across the Starship program. This position is responsible for translating high-level objectives into robust technical solutions for complex scaling challenges. You will mentor engineers on best practices for infrastructure as code and automated testing strategies. Ultimately, your work will ensure that software changes are integrated, validated, and released with speed and confidence.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Create and maintain tools that improve the speed and accuracy of software development.
• Perform hands-on integration and debugging across the Starship software stack.
• Manage and improve a dedicated pool of on-premises compute resources in coordination with other teams.
• Develop solutions to address technical challenges for the Starship program.
• Design scalable continuous integration pipelines that handle the complexity of vehicle software.
• Optimize build and test execution to reduce feedback time for engineering teams.
• Implement infrastructure monitoring to ensure high availability of critical tooling.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define standards for software integration.
• Evaluate and integrate new technologies that enhance the development lifecycle.
• Support the deployment of software updates to vehicles and launch pad systems.
• Automate repetitive tasks to improve the efficiency of engineering workflows.
• Analyze system performance metrics to guide infrastructure investment decisions.
• Partner with security and compliance teams to uphold organizational standards.
• Document architectural decisions and operational procedures for long-term maintainability.

Requirements

• 7+ years of software engineering experience with a Bachelor degree in computer science, engineering, math, or a STEM field, or 9+ years of professional software development experience without a degree.
• Ability to work extended hours and weekends when necessary.
• Must meet ITAR requirements: U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle and version control systems.
• Proven experience with large-scale software systems and distributed teams.
• Willingness to learn and adapt to evolving technologies and processes.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Capability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Proficiency with Bazel or similar build systems.
• Fluency in Python, C++, Rust, or Go.
• Experience building infrastructure that supports hundreds of engineers.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools and interest in applying AI to testing and code quality workflows.
• Strong critical thinking and first-principles problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to manage high levels of responsibility in a fast-paced environment.

Practical notes

Total compensation includes base salary, long-term incentives such as company stock or cash awards, discretionary bonuses, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Benefits include medical, vision, and dental coverage, 401(k), disability and life insurance, paid parental leave, 3 weeks of paid vacation, and 10+ paid holidays. SpaceX is an equal opportunity employer.

About the company

Based in Starbase, Texas, a company pursues work in spaceflight, telecom, and artificial intelligence. A unit handles rocket launches, leading yearly orbital counts beyond other national and commercial teams. Another unit runs Starlink, a satellite communications firm. A third area, through SpaceXAI, advances Grok and AI integration with X, while managing data center operations. Roles often cross these paths. Candidates with engineering, software, or operations backgrounds may find chances to join projects that span launch, connectivity, and machine learning efforts in this Texas-based enterprise.