Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software)

The job

LIVE Employer public job feed (private-sector employer) Source: the employer's public careers feed · Data: listed 2026-07-28

Job description

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.

OPERATIONS ENGINEER, APPLIED AI (APPLICATION SOFTWARE)

As an Operations Engineer on SpaceX’s team, you will act as a key technical partner. You’ll help internal teams across different programs explore the capabilities of different platforms and design smart, effective strategies for incorporating large language models into their products and infrastructure. This hybrid role blends strong technical depth with strong interpersonal skills to empower different teams within the company to create powerful AI-powered solutions while prioritizing safety and responsible deployment.

You’ll collaborate closely with Sales, Product, and Engineering teams to support them from early exploration all the way through successful implementation. Using your engineering background, you will build practical testing approaches and create robust system designs that deliver meaningful results.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work alongside internal teams to uncover their needs and design technical approaches that closely align with their goals
• Serve as the main technical point of contact, supporting end-to-end while coordinating with internal teams to ensure strong outcomes
• Build prototypes and proof-of-concept applications that clearly illustrate effective ways to integrate with Spok/Grok
• Advise on system-on-system architecture and support teams in developing advanced applications powered by LLMs – Large Language Models
• Keep current evolving LLM technologies, best practices, and the tools commonly used in fast-moving environments

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM or engineering discipline
• 1+ years of experience working in engineering or operations/process development

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Hands-on experience supporting cross- functional teams and a solid grasp of their fast-paced environment, limited resources, and specific pain points, specifically in engineering disciplines
• Ability to code along with a track record of developing production-level applications
• Experience with shipping real-world applications using large language models and related machine learning tools to lead cross-functional groups
• Knowledge of common LLM techniques including prompt design, evaluation methods, agent systems, and retrieval architecture
• Previous experience working with AI product design, development, integration, and/or test
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and deliver expeditious results across multiple parallel priorities
• Previous experience innovating process improvements, AI integrations, and AI system design in an enterprise setting
• Positive, "can-do" attitude, self-starter, and ability to work in a high-pace dynamic environment

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
• Must be willing to travel up to 25% of the time to visit different sites
• Ability to pass Air Force background checks for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg
• This role requires you to be onsite. Remote and/or hybrid work will not be considered

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 EEOCompliance@spacex.com. 

Explore around this job

Field: Technology Sub-niche: Data, analytics and AI All jobs at SpaceX Jobs in Texas Jobs in McGregor, TX Texas state guide

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About the role

This is a — role in the Technology field (Data, analytics and AI) at SpaceX.

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The city

McGregor, TX is not one of the cities with its own page in our guides, so here is the state: Texas.

The state economy in brief

Texas is in the South region (West South Central division) and has 30,188,424 residents (the 2nd largest of the 50 states and DC by population), with a median age of 35.6. Its economy produced about $3,032,038 million in the latest four quarters (BEA), 2nd among states and DC, equal to $100,437 per resident.

Jobs and the labour market

The unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2026M09, which is 38th lowest of 51 (1st is the lowest). Employers had job openings equal to 4.1% of employment, 23rd highest of 51, a measure of how hard it is to hire. The median wage across all occupations is $48,620 a year ($23.38 an hour), 5% below the national median ($48,620 against $50,980).

What people do and what it pays

The occupations with the most jobs in Texas are Fast Food and Counter Workers (460,530 jobs, median $27,740); General and Operations Managers (431,310 jobs, median $103,230); Retail Salespersons (341,640 jobs, median $30,800); Customer Service Representatives (337,170 jobs, median $40,420); Home Health and Personal Care Aides (329,590 jobs, median $24,230). Among occupations with at least 2,000 jobs, the best paid are Cardiologists (median $410,150); Radiologists (median $319,320); Physicians, All Other (median $269,800). Compared with the nation, the state is most specialised in management (1.2 times the national share of workers) and installation, maintenance, and repair (1.2 times the national share of workers).

Cost of living, taxes and workplace rules

Prices are below the national average in Texas: the regional price parity is 97.1 against 100 for the whole country (27th lowest of 51). Median gross rent is $1,403 a month and the median household income $78,476, so a year of rent equals 21.5% of income; the median home value is $283,800. The state minimum wage is $7.25 (the higher of state and federal rates applies to most workers). State income tax on wages: No state tax on wages. It is a right-to-work state, meaning workers cannot be required to pay union dues as a condition of employment. It has no state paid family and medical leave programme in our source.

People and commuting

17.6% of residents were born abroad and 33.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Among workers, 71.4% drive alone, 0.9% use public transit and 14.4% work from home; 16.9% commute 45 minutes or more.

State guide: Texas →

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Career paths

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Cybersecurity (512) Software engineering (2678) Cloud, IT and infrastructure (743) Product management (570)

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The employer

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What it is like to work at a company (culture, schedules, benefits) is not in the source data, so we do not describe it. Read the description and ask the questions under "How to prepare".

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Same sub-niche: Data, analytics and AI

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FAQ

What is the Operations Engineer, Applied AI (Application Software) job at SpaceX?

A private-sector role in technology (data, analytics and ai) listed 104 days ago. The full description is on this page and on the employer's page.

Where is this job?

McGregor, TX.

How do I apply?

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How much does it pay?

The listing does not publish pay, and we could not match the title to one official occupation.

What is the cost of living there?

See the state or country guide for rent, income and taxes.

How old is this listing?

It was posted on 2026-07-28 (104 days ago). Jobs older than 90 days are not shown.

Are there similar jobs?

Yes: browse data, analytics and ai jobs in Texas.

Sources and terms

• Job data: SpaceX careers page public feed (listing dated 2026-07-28). The job disappears from this site when it disappears from the source.
• Wages and projections: BLS OEWS (May 2025) and Employment Projections 2025–35.
• City and county figures: Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024, BEA, BLS QCEW and LAUS, NASA POWER climatology; distances from Census Gazetteer coordinates.

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Sources

• BLS OEWS (wages and employment by occupation, May 2025)
• BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
• BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
• BLS JOLTS
• BLS State and Metro Area Employment
• Census Bureau American Community Survey (via Census Reporter)
• BEA GDP by state and Regional Price Parities
• IRS 2026 tax adjustments
• U.S. Department of Labor, minimum wage by state
• Tax Foundation state income tax rates 2026
• USAJOBS
• USCIS
• U.S. Department of State, visas
• NASA POWER climatology
• GeoNames / Census Gazetteer (coordinates)