below marketmost similar roles pay hereabove market
This role pays more than
84%
of similar roles. Most pay
$169,550–$214,500
— the blue band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$228k
versus about
$192k
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.
JOB TITLE: Principal Operations Engineer (Application Software)
The Principal Operations Engineer (Application Software) supports the Application Software executive team by driving growth strategy, headcount planning, and site activation. This role involves managing the operating cadence, owning the annual operating plan for headcount and capital, and executing M&A integrations. The engineer will tackle nebulous problems by developing long-term strategies for scaling software across corporate functions, launch, and flight software. Responsibilities include forecasting compute capacity for CPUs, GPUs, and storage, while also performing hands-on tasks like writing software scripts, racking hardware, and cabling servers. Candidates must possess strong quantitative skills in SQL, Excel, and Python to solve complex technical problems. The role requires a blend of high-level strategic planning and tactical execution to unblock fast-paced software delivery in a high-rate engineering environment.
Manage the Application Software operating cadence, including weekly/monthly rhythms, decision logs, and staff plans.
Own the annual operating plan for headcount, opex, capex, and vendor management.
Execute M&A integrations by performing diligence on people, software, vendors, and data.
Lead site activation plans including coverage models, hiring, and go-live schedules for new locations.
Forecast and manage compute capacity, including server-rack layouts, power, cooling, and storage.
Redesign intake and prioritization processes to create a single unified workflow for all software requests.
Develop long-term growth strategies to solve ambiguous, multi-organizational problems.
Perform hands-on technical work such as writing software, racking hardware, and cabling servers.
What we're looking for
Bachelor’s degree in operations, engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, or a related technical field.
7+ years of experience or education in management science and engineering, operations engineering, operations research, industrial engineering, or equivalent quantitative operations work.
5+ years of experience in operations, strategy, program management, or technical leadership in a high-rate engineering or software environment.
Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible for required Department of State authorizations.
Master’s degree in management science & engineering, operations research, industrial engineering, or similar (preferred).
Track record of owning or heavily contributing to an AOP / annual budget for a technical org (preferred).
Experience forecasting and standing up compute capacity, site operations, or running M&A diligence for technical teams (preferred).
Ability to contribute directly to software (scripting, services, tools) and/or hardware builds (racks, servers, networking) (preferred).