AI Engineer, Special Programs

SpaceX

Confirmed live today Low trust

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Washington, DCPalo Alto, CA
Salary: $125,000–$220,000 / yr
Posted: 159 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live today
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

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Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $186k

This role $172k

$113k $237k

below market most similar roles pay here above market

This role pays less than 60% of similar roles. Most pay $150,475–$222,000 — the blue band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $172k versus about $186k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

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About SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft with the mission of enabling humans to become a multi-planetary species. It operates the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship launch vehicles, as well as the Starlink satellite internet constellation.

SpaceX currently has 851 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $130,000–$165,000 across 590 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · AI Engineer, Special Programs

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The AI Engineer, Special Programs - Top Secret Clearance joins the team to own the strategy, execution, and deployment of mission-critical AI solutions for U.S. federal agencies. You will design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models like the Grok family and government systems. Daily responsibilities include scoping product specifications, benchmarking models, developing evaluation frameworks, and performing system prompt tuning or fine-tuning to ensure secure, scalable deployment. You will analyze request logs for reliability and build internal tooling to automate workflows in secure environments. Required technical skills include proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript, secure API design, and experience with infrastructure-as-code tools like Pulumi or Terraform. This role solves high-stakes technical problems by delivering production-grade software that meets stringent compliance and operational standards for government use cases.

What does a AI Engineer earn in California?

Median $246150 from 100 postings across 17 companies.

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Skills

Python TypeScript Machine Learning AI APIs Terraform Pulumi infrastructure-as-code Fine-tuning Model Evaluation HTTP Data Science SDKs Scalable Systems

What you'll do

Design and optimize integrations between AI frontier models and government systems or data environments.
Scope product specifications and build AI-powered software for government and enterprise use cases.
Benchmark models and develop evaluation frameworks to assess performance and ensure compliance.
Enhance model performance through system prompt tuning and fine-tuning for secure deployment.
Analyze request logs and system outputs to ensure reliability and auditability.
Build internal tooling to automate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows in secure environments.
Prototype solutions and iterate rapidly based on real-world feedback from agency stakeholders.
Ship production-grade code and features with a focus on speed, simplicity, and measurable impact.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, computer engineering, physics, or data science.
1+ years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications.
Active Top-Secret or Top-Secret SCI clearance.
U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee (or eligible for Department of State authorization).
6+ years of software engineering experience, ideally in high-reliability or secure environments (preferred).
Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript (preferred).
Experience implementing AI products with APIs, back-end systems, and front-end interfaces (preferred).
TOP SECRET CLEARANCE.

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