Job brief: Sr. AI Engineer, Special Programs

What JoRoute checked · Checked by JoRoute

• Listed on SpaceX's own job board. JoRoute does not take listings from job ads or recruiters.
• First seen by JoRoute 2026-11-04 (3 days ago); last confirmed on the board 2026-11-07.
• The apply link opens boards.greenhouse.io, the address SpaceX's board gives for this job.
• No other listing with this title and place on this board in the last 90 days.
• No layoff notices (WARN) under this name in the state files JoRoute reads.

What the listing says · Employer's own words, not checked

• Pay: $220,000 to $350,000 a year
• Job type: Not stated
• Where: Washington, DC · Palo Alto, CA
• Posted: 2026-05-21 · over 60 days ago

What the job asks · Employer's own words, not checked

Level: Senior. The title says "Sr".

Must have

• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
• 20% travel may be required to government sites
• This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment.
• While the clearance may not be immediately necessary upon hire, we encourage you to initiate the application process promptly upon accepting this offer.
• Your ability to secure the necessary clearance is essential for fulfilling key responsibilities of the role.
• Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S.

Conditions

• You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.
• 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/…

Main duties

• Design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models (e.g., Grok family) and government systems, platforms, and data environments
• Collaborate on custom SDKs, APIs, developer tools, and documentation tailored for government and enterprise developers
• Partner with agency stakeholders to understand requirements, prototype solutions, and iterate rapidly based on real-world feedback
• Ship production-grade code and features with a bias toward speed, simplicity, and measurable impact
• Bachelor's degree in computer science or another STEM discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience in software development in lieu of a degree

Lines copied from the posting, not rewritten. "Preferred" or "nice to have" items are not listed as must-haves.

How it compares · Compared by JoRoute from listings

• Typical listed pay for engineer jobs in Washington, DC: $154k a year (286 listings, 34 employers). This listing is 85% higher.
• Across SpaceX's 2,898 open listings, 59% of those with a posting date were first posted more than 60 days ago. How SpaceX hires

What nobody outside the employer knows · Not known

• Whether the role is already filled or on hold: employers often leave listings up.
• How many people applied, and who reads the applications.
• Where in the published range an offer would land.

Ask before you apply

1. Is this role still open, and when do you hope to fill it?
2. Which of the listed places is this role based in?
3. What are the interview steps, and when should I expect to hear back?

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