Site Reliability Engineer (Starshield) - Top Secret Clearance - job 1 of 3

As a Site Reliability Engineer (Starshield) at SpaceX, your responsibilities include developing automation for managing cloud and on-premises resources, deploying core infrastructure components like databases and storage, and closely collaborating with software engineers to ensure the scalability and maintainability of the products. You will engage with the entire service lifecycle from inception to refinement, making a significant impact on the software systems crucial to national security.

To qualify for the Site Reliability Engineer (Starshield) role at SpaceX, you should have a Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or a related field, or have at least 2 years of professional experience in software, DevOps, or site reliability engineering. Additionally, having experience with Linux systems, containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes, and familiarity with scripting languages such as Bash or Python is essential. An active Top Secret clearance is also required.

Ideal candidates for the Site Reliability Engineer (Starshield) role at SpaceX will have experience in systems administration, site reliability engineering, or DevOps. Preferred skills include proficiency in Python development frameworks, containerization tools like Kubernetes and Docker, knowledge of virtualization and database management, and skills in performance optimization techniques. Strong communication skills to interact with various stakeholders are also important.

No, aerospace experience is not a requirement for the Site Reliability Engineer (Starshield) position at SpaceX. We encourage applicants from diverse technical backgrounds who are passionate about problem-solving and want to contribute to innovative projects in space technology. Fresh ideas and unique perspectives are always welcome!

Working as a Site Reliability Engineer (Starshield) at SpaceX comes with a competitive salary range and comprehensive benefits, including medical, vision, and dental insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, and paid parental leave. Employees also enjoy stock options, bonuses, and paid vacation, along with opportunities to work on high-impact projects that contribute to national security and space exploration.

When answering this question, focus on the specific Linux distributions you’ve worked with, any tasks you’ve accomplished using Linux, and how this experience has prepared you for maintaining and troubleshooting systems in a Site Reliability Engineer role. Highlight any automation skills you've developed in managing Linux environments.

In your answer, discuss your preferred tools and frameworks for automation, such as CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code principles, or specific programming/scripting languages. Share a recent example where you successfully automated a process, emphasizing the challenges faced and the improvements achieved.

Respond by outlining the projects where you've implemented containerization technologies, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame those challenges. Discuss how containerization has improved your workflow, and be sure to highlight any specific metrics or results that demonstrate your success.

Answer by detailing your approach to reliability, including monitoring, incident response strategies, redundancy planning, and capacity management. Share your experience with handling incidents and performing root cause analyses, leading to system enhancements.

Describe a step-by-step approach to addressing critical failures, emphasizing your adherence to best practices such as immediately assessing the situation, notifying the team, identifying the breach, rolling back to a stable version, and documenting the incident for future reference.

Discuss the monitoring tools you’ve utilized (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Nagios) and how you leveraged them for real-time analysis and alerting. Share your experiences in defining performance metrics and how your monitoring strategies have improved operational efficiency.

Choose a problem that illustrates your analytical skills and technical expertise. Detail the situation, the steps you took to analyze the problem, the solution you implemented, and the outcome. Quantify the impact of your solution when possible.

Talk about your methods for keeping current, such as following influential tech blogs, participating in online communities, attending conferences, or engaging in continued education courses. Mention any relevant certifications or training you have pursued.

Be specific about your proficiency in languages such as Python or Bash, and give examples of how you've applied them in automation, building tools, or improving existing workflows. If you’ve developed scripts for scheduling or monitoring, be sure to mention that.

Discuss your hands-on experience with cloud platforms, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. Highlight specific projects where you designed or optimized cloud architecture, and how these initiatives impacted the overall system performance and resource management.