Sr. AI Engineer, Special Programs - Top Secret Clearance (Palo Alto)

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.SR. AI ENGINEER, SPECIAL PROGRAMS - TOP SECRET CLEARANCESr. AI engineers work directly with our end customers to own strategy, execution, and deployment of mission-critical AI solutions for U.S federal agencies. You'll work closely with product, research, infrastructure, and legal/governance teams to deliver high-stakes projects to make current AI and future models maximally useful for missions while upholding safety, transparency, and ethical standards.RESPONSIBILITIES:Design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models (e.g., Grok family) and government systems, platforms, and data environments.Identify pain points, scoping product specifications, and designing and building AI-powered software for government or enterprise use cases.Benchmark models and develop evaluation frameworks to assess performance and address weaknesses, ensuring compliance with customer standards.Enhancing model performance through system prompt tuning or fine-tuning, with an eye toward secure and scalable deployment.Analyze request logs, prompt data, or system outputs to ensure reliability and audibility.Build internal tooling to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks in secure environments.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.BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:Bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, computer engineering, physics, or data science.5+ years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications.Active Top-Secret or Top-Secret SCI.PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:Demonstrated success working with government agencies, DoD, or federal contractors on AI, software, or data projects.6+ years of software engineering experience, ideally in environments requiring high reliability or security.Expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining robust, scalable, and secure AI-driven solutions that meet stringent compliance and operational standards.Proven experience implementing AI or machine learning products with APIs, back-end systems, and front-end interfaces.Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript.Strong understanding of the protocol and secure API design.Robust engineering background, preferably in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, or Data Science.Experience building evaluation frameworks for AI systems and assessing capabilities in regulated or high-stakes contexts.Deep understanding of machine learning fundamentals—model evaluation, training, and fine-tuning—with a focus on production-ready deployments.History of deploying machine learning models to production, ideally in secure or cloud-based government environments.Expertise in writing developer documentation or maintaining SDKs for technical audiences, including government developers.Ability to work with massive datasets, optimize system performance, and scale solutions for high-throughput, mission-critical workloads.Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Pulumi or Terraform, particularly in secure or government-aligned deployments.Adaptability to shifting priorities and requirements in a fast-paced, mission-driven startup setting.Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, with experience documenting technical solutions for diverse stakeholders.ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.20% travel may be required to government sites.COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:Pay range: Sr. AI Engineer: $220,000.00 - $350,000.00/per year 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, stock options, 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 accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.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 View email address on apply.placed-app.com.