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Lead Software Engineer, Components Test (Starshield)

SpaceX · Hawthorne, CA

Posted Oct 15, 2026

Est. total comp~$201K–$317K

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From the posting

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.

LEAD SOFTWARE ENGINEER, COMPONENTS TEST (STARSHIELD)

Starshield is a satellite development program focused on efforts in earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads that enable innovation in national security efforts. The Starshield Satellite Hardware Test Team develops test solutions for the most cutting-edge, high volume communication satellites and ground stations in the world. Testing is a fundamental quality check and last line of defense before our products are installed for flight.

As Lead Software Engineer, you will have the unique opportunity to lead the design and development of test software infrastructure that will validate the performance of these components in a cross-disciplinary environment. You will be expected to create new test systems and infrastructure from the ground up to test hardware, software, and the interface between the two. Our engineers are endlessly curious, love to learn and try out new things, and work collaboratively across disciplines in a dynamic environment with changing needs as we strive to deliver high-impact technology on a global scale.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide strong technical leadership with a focus on continuous improvement …

Excerpt from SpaceX's public job board. Read the full posting.

About this listing. Pulled automatically from SpaceX's public job board and refreshed daily; closed roles are removed. Mars Mining Co. is not the employer, does not take applications and does not screen candidates. Field and level labels come from the job title and can be wrong.

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About the pay figures (~): These are estimates. Yearly figures are estimated total comp ranges: the employer's posted pay range, or, with no posted pay, the median to 90th-percentile BLS wage for similar jobs, plus typical benefits and bonus, without stock. Hourly figures for internships and contract roles are posted rates or BLS hourly wage ranges. Figures outside the U.S. and for loosely matched titles are rough ballparks. How we estimate