Network Operations Engineer (Starlink)

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

NETWORK OPERATIONS ENGINEER (STARLINK)

Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and is providing fast, reliable internet to millions of users worldwide. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink’s potential global impact and are looking for best-in-class engineers to help develop the systems that enable providing service in new markets and even greater system performance and growth potential.

As a Network Operations Engineer, you will be responsible for engineering the operational systems and processes used to support the Starlink Network as it scales to millions of users around the globe. Join the team operating the network that is revolutionizing global connectivity and internet access. The successful Network Operations Engineer will create the tools, technology and processes to maintain, operate and evolve the most advanced network in the solar system. You will work with subsystem responsible engineers, software engineers, guidance navigation and control engineers, and network engineers to develop alerts, mitigations, and upgrades to orbital and terrestrial assets and drive improvements to core Starlink systems. Through continuous improvement, you will drive process and automation upgrades to the point of minimal manual intervention. You will be responsible for the complete lifecycle of the projects you own, including development, testing, deployment and support.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop, implement and scale Starlink Network Operations processes and tools to provide global internet access
• Work with development engineering teams to drive design for operations, solve technical issues, and incorporate debugging tools and strategies into NetOps processes
• Own and protect the overall Starlink customer experience, advocating for fast problem resolution with various teams inside SpaceX
• Interact with key stakeholders to identify their desired outcomes, take their inputs and deliver improvements to Network Operations owned processes
• Ensure network incident response processes are rapid, organized, and minimize customer impact
• Work with the diverse teams across the Starlink program to develop monitoring, alerting and triage processes that quickly drive resolution to emergent problems
• Define and develop projects, milestones, and roadmaps, practicing flexible prioritization and scope management in order to deliver on program directives
• Take extreme ownership of deliverables and make risk-conscious decisions under pressure

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or science discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software development, system administration, site reliability, or working in a network operations center
• Experience with Python, SQL, and/or bash scripting
• Experience with modern networking protocols: (TCP/IPv4/IPv6, voice, video, broadcast, streaming)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Advanced degree in computer science, engineering, math, or science discipline
• 2+ years of experience developing software, processes, or projects in a rapidly changing, highly demanding environment and ability to run these projects independently
• Understanding of service provider and home networks technologies including but not limited to:
  • Connectivity (Ethernet, WiFi, WDM, IPv4 and IPv6)
  • Switching (MPLS, QinQ)
  • Routing (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS)
  • Subscriber Management (BNG, RADIUS/AAA, QoS, BSS/OSS integration)
  • Network security and Anti-DDoS measures
  • Internet services (DNS, DHCP, NTP, UPnP, NAT etc.)
  • Knowledge and troubleshooting about most common consumer devices (NAS, IoT, Smart devices, etc…)
  • Residential or enterprise WiFi design and remote troubleshooting
• Residential or business customer interaction experience, customer support preferred
• Experience creating documentation and procedures from scratch
• Experience working within complex, software defined networking (SDN) and/or network function virtualization (NFV) environments
• Current associate level or higher industry networking certification (JNCIA, CCNA or equivalent)

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to participate in on-call rotation to support critical operations as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 1: $105,000 - $122,500
Level 2: $120,000 - $150,000

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees in Washington State accrue paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law. Company shuttles are offered to employees for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office Monday to Friday.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.  

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected].