Principal AI Engineer, Special Programs

SpaceX

Confirmed live today Low trust

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Washington, DCPalo Alto, CA
Salary: $220,000–$350,000 / yr
Posted: 113 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live today
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $217k

This role $285k

$130k $374k

below market most similar roles pay here above market

This role pays more than 88% of similar roles. Most pay $180,375–$253,500 — the blue band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $285k versus about $217k 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 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 · Principal AI Engineer, Special Programs

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The Principal AI Engineer, Special Programs joins a team dedicated to engineering and deploying AI capabilities for U.S. federal agencies. In this role, you will design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models, such as the Grok family, and various government systems, platforms, and data environments. You will collaborate with product, research, infrastructure, and legal teams to develop custom SDKs, APIs, and developer tools while ensuring safety, transparency, and ethical standards. Key responsibilities include prototyping solutions based on stakeholder requirements and shipping production-grade code. Required technical skills include strong Python proficiency and experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications. You should also possess familiarity with large language models, generative AI, agentic systems, cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, or Azure, and containerization tools like Docker and Kubernetes.

What does a AI Engineer earn in California?

Median $246150 from 100 postings across 17 companies.

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Skills

Python Large Language Models Generative AI Agentic Systems AWS GCP Azure Docker Kubernetes APIs SDKs AI Safety Red-teaming Open-source

What you'll do

Design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models and government systems.
Develop custom SDKs, APIs, developer tools, and documentation for government and enterprise users.
Partner with agency stakeholders to prototype solutions and iterate based on real-world feedback.
Ship production-grade code and features with a focus on speed and measurable impact.
Ensure AI models uphold safety, transparency, and ethical standards for federal missions.
Translate ambiguous stakeholder needs into concrete technical solutions.
Maintain a Top Secret Security Clearance to fulfill operational requirements.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's degree in computer science or another STEM discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree.
6+ years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications.
Strong Python proficiency.
Ability to successfully obtain and maintain a Top Secret Security Clearance.
Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible for Department of State authorization.
Experience working with large language models, generative AI, or agentic systems (preferred).
Familiarity with government or public sector technology environments (preferred).
Experience with cloud platforms, containerization, or API orchestration (preferred).

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