Principal Cybersecurity Engineer

SpaceX is hiring a Principal Cybersecurity Engineer (Starshield) to build and lead cyber defenses for the Starshield network in Washington, DC.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of cybersecurity engineers focused on immediate readiness to respond to active threats against systems.
• Implement Starshield’s cyber defense strategy.
• Continuously assess the evolving cyber threat landscape and develop targeted countermeasures for Starshield systems.
• Run “red-team” style exercises to uncover vulnerabilities and practice tactics the team would use during attacks.
• Lead vulnerability discovery initiatives across the Starshield program.
• Conduct internal bug hunts to identify undiscovered vulnerabilities.
• Build a culture of continual curiosity and open-ended exploration within the team.
• Use the latest tools, including AI , to speed up both bug discovery and bug fixing.
• Drive improvements to incident discovery and incident response.
• Partner closely with engineers building internal systems used to detect security events and improve detection of active network intrusion attempts.
• Collaborate across teams to deliver results.
• Work with engineers implementing security features and with teams developing internal incident discovery tooling.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer security, or a similar field, and either:
  • 7+ years of professional cybersecurity experience for active production systems, or
  • 10+ years of professional cybersecurity experience for active production systems.
• Experience leading a team of direct reports.
• Experience implementing systems for adversary detection and incident response.

Preferred skills and experience

• Expertise in computer networks and large-scale distributed compute platforms.
• Experience leading 3–5 engineers on a technical cybersecurity project.
• Expertise in vulnerability discovery and triage.
• Experience with continuity of operations planning.
• Experience performing Blue Team or Red Team assessments.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• Ability to handle ambiguity and learn new technologies quickly.
• Advanced degree in a technical or engineering discipline.
• Active Top Secret , Top Secret SCI , or DOE Level Q clearance.

Technologies

• AI
• Red-team
• Blue Team
• Top Secret SCI
• DOE Level Q clearance

Clearance and additional requirements

• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
• Successfully obtain and maintain a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment.
• Export control: to conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be:
  • (i) a U.S. citizen or national, or
  • (ii) a U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), or
  • (iii) a Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or
  • (iv) an Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Location and compensation

• Location: Washington, DC (onsite)
• Salary: USD 225,000 - 340,000 per year

Benefits

• Long-term incentives via company stock or long-term cash awards
• Potential discretionary bonuses
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ability to purchase additional stock at a discount)
• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Short and long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Various other discounts and perks
• 3 weeks of paid vacation
• 10 or more paid holidays per year
• Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy
• 10% differential (up to an additional $20,000 annually) for those with an active clearance once officially briefed into a classified program