Principal AI Engineer, Special Programs

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Principal AI Engineer, Special Programs in USA new

SpaceX
Full time
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USA
09/30/2026
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Palo Alto, CA

Responsibilities

Design, build, and optimize integrations between frontier AI models and government systems, platforms, and data environments.
Develop custom SDKs, APIs, developer tools, and documentation for government and enterprise developers.
Partner with agency stakeholders to understand requirements, prototype solutions, and iterate based on real-world feedback.
Ship production-grade code and features focused on speed, simplicity, and measurable impact.
Collaborate with product, research, infrastructure, and legal/governance teams on safe, transparent, and useful AI capabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or another STEM discipline, or at least 2 years of professional software-development experience in lieu of a degree.
At least 6 years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications.
Strong Python proficiency; experience with other programming languages is a plus.
Experience with large language models, generative AI, or agentic systems is preferred.
Experience with government or public-sector technology environments, regulated industries, AI safety, governance, red-teaming, responsible AI deployment, cloud platforms, containerization, API orchestration, policy-adjacent technical work, civic tech, public-interest technology, or open-source AI projects is preferred.
Ability to translate ambiguous stakeholder needs into concrete technical solutions and communicate complex concepts to nontechnical partners.
Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
Must successfully obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
Must meet applicable ITAR eligibility requirements or be eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Benefits

Base salary of $220,000–$350,000 per year, with potential stock, stock options, long-term cash awards, and discretionary bonuses.
Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage; 401(k); disability and life insurance; paid parental leave; employee discounts; and other perks.
Approximately 3 weeks of paid vacation, 10 or more paid holidays per year, and paid sick leave under company policy.
The role may require 20% travel to government sites and extended hours or weekends as needed.

Salary: $220k - $350k/yr

SpaceX

SpaceX builds advanced rockets and spacecraft with the aim of making human life multiplanetary, particularly focusing on establishing a sustainable presence on Mars. Its innovative technologies and ambitious missions cater to space enthusiasts, researchers, and industries looking to push the boun...

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