This role pays less than
56%
of similar roles. Most pay
$160,862–$254,750
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$202k
versus about
$208k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
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
793 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$130,000–$165,000
across 557 roles with salary data.
Manager, Data Center Hardware & Infrastructure (TS/SCI) leads a technical team responsible for the design, deployment, and lifecycle management of data center hardware supporting classified and enterprise environments. This hands-on role involves building and scaling a team while performing technical tasks such as racking servers, troubleshooting power and cooling issues, and optimizing high-density GPU clusters. The manager oversees capacity planning, procurement, cabling, and infrastructure for mission-critical systems including Starlink and national security programs. Key responsibilities include enforcing hardware standards aligned with DISA STIG, NIST, and ICD 705 requirements while managing vendor relationships and budget. Required expertise includes experience with high-performance networking like InfiniBand or Ethernet, liquid cooling technologies, and enterprise storage platforms. The role ensures compliance for SCIF/SAPF environments using DCIM tools and telemetry to maintain 24/7 reliability across multiple sites.
Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of data center hardware including capacity planning, procurement, rack installation, and power distribution.
Build and lead a high-performing team of technicians and engineers across multiple SpaceX sites.
Maintain and optimize high-density GPU clusters and liquid cooling systems for mission-critical infrastructure.
Enforce hardware standards and operational procedures compliant with DISA STIG, NIST, and other security requirements.
Drive 24/7 high-availability operations including incident response, change management, and preventive maintenance.
Manage vendor relationships, hardware roadmaps, spare parts strategies, and infrastructure budgets.
Implement DCIM tools and automation for asset tracking, telemetry, and environmental monitoring.
Ensure physical security and compliance for classified environments including SCIF/SAPF requirements.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline and 5+ years of experience leading technical teams in data center, infrastructure, or IT operations roles, OR 7+ years of experience without the degree.
8+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise or hyperscale data center operations, hardware infrastructure, or critical facilities.
Active Top Secret, Top Secret SCI, or DOE Level Q clearance.
Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee to meet export control requirements.
Proven track record building or scaling teams while remaining hands-on with hardware (preferred).
Experience supporting classified environments and associated compliance frameworks like DISA STIG, RMF, ICD 705, and TEMPEST (preferred).
Hands-on experience with GPU/AI compute clusters, high-performance networking, and liquid cooling technologies (preferred).
Relevant certifications such as CompTIA Security+, CISSP, CDCMP, PMP, or data center-specific credentials (preferred).
AI Infrastructure
Data Center Architecture
HPC
Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
RDMA
InfiniBand
Ethernet
Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
Distributed Systems
Cluster Management
Network Automation
Power Distribution
Thermal Management
Capacity Planning
Observability
Firmware
Silicon
OpenBMC
MCU Firmware
C++
Python
Embedded Linux
FreeRTOS
Yocto
BitBake
Redfish
MCTP
PLDM
SPDM
DMTF
Git
Perforce
Jira
CI/CD
Data Center Systems
Firmware Development Lifecycle