Principal Cybersecurity Engineer

The Principal Cybersecurity Engineer role at SpaceX supports Starshield by growing and leading a team focused on building, testing, and improving cyber defenses for the Starshield network. This is a hands-on position spanning software and security, with emphasis on threat response, vulnerability discovery, and incident detection and response.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a team of cybersecurity engineers with the priority of readiness for immediate response to active threats against systems.
• Implement Starshield's cyber defense strategy.
• Continuously assess the cyber threat landscape and develop targeted countermeasures for Starshield systems.
• Run ongoing red-team style exercises to uncover vulnerabilities and rehearse tactics the team will use during attacks.
• Lead vulnerability discovery efforts across Starshield, including internal bug hunts to identify undiscovered vulnerabilities.
• Develop and reinforce a team culture of continual curiosity and open-ended exploration.
• Use the latest tooling, including AI, to accelerate both bug discovery and remediation.
• Drive improvements to incident discovery and response capabilities.
• Collaborate with engineers building internal systems used to detect security events, improving the ability to identify active network intrusion attempts.
• Coordinate across teams to deliver results.
• Work closely with engineers implementing security features and with teams developing internal incident discovery tools.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer security, or a similar field, and 7+ years of professional cybersecurity experience for active production systems; or 10+ years of 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 a team of 3-5 engineers on a technical cybersecurity project.
• Expertise in vulnerability discovery and triage.
• Experience with continuity of operations planning.
• Experience conducting Blue Team or Red Team assessments.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts to nontechnical audiences.
• Ability to operate with 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

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
• Ability to successfully obtain and maintain a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment.

Compensation and Location

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

Benefits

• Long-term incentives via company stock or long-term cash awards.
• Potential discretionary bonuses.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan, with the 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.

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 (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.