SpaceX
New Graduate Engineer, Software Security - '26/'27 (Starlink)
At a Glance
About This Role
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.
NEW GRADUATE ENGINEER, SOFTWARE SECURITY - '26/'27 (STARLINK)
At SpaceX we’re leveraging our experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and serves millions of users worldwide. We design, build, and operate all parts of the system – thousands of satellites and all of the space-ground infrastructure necessary for a constellation of that size.
As we scale the constellation to hundreds of thousands of satellites, and become a foundation of global connectivity both on earth (and in space), we are looking for excellent engineers to help us build secure, defensible systems from the ground up.
As a Security Software Engineer you will influence the security of software across our space and terrestrial systems. Ideally, you have notable skills in one or more of the following:
- Software engineering
- Applied cryptography
- Network security
- Operating system security
- Secure/Authenticated boot
- Incident response and adversary detection
- Vulnerability research
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Design and build security critical infrastructure for Starlink
- Develop security features for Starlink systems, including our router, dish, gateways, and satellites
- Design security into factory processes and provide network services in support of this
- Maintain existing production systems and improve security posture via both direct implementation and recommendations to other teams
- Build prototypes and help identify, design, and test security improvements
- Further our mission of providing secure and reliable Internet to underserved communities
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science or another STEM discipline
- Experience with one or more software development languages (i.e. Python, C++, Golang)
- Experience designing and implementing security solutions for operating systems, distributed systems, or other enterprise/large-scale infrastructure
- Graduating in the class of 2026 or 2027
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Designing secure systems
- Experience contributing security improvements to complex systems
- Experience working with special purpose security hardware such as Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs)
- Experienced in navigating large, complex, interactive systems
- Flexibility, communicating clearly, and establishing and maintaining productive working relationships with other engineering teams
- Ability to work both independently and in a team
- Demonstrated ability to deal with ambiguity and to learn new technologies quickly
- Advanced degree in a technical or engineering discipline
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
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.
Source: SpaceX careers · View original posting
About SpaceX
SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is a private aerospace and space transportation company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk. Based in Starbase, Texas, SpaceX aims to reduce the costs of space launches and facilitate the establishment of a self-sustaining human colony on Mars. As of 2025, it is recognized as the leading space launch provider globally, surpassing both private and national programs. The company designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. Its notable products include the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Dragon spacecraft, Crew Dragon, and Starship. SpaceX also operates Starlink, a satellite communications service. The company has achieved significant milestones in commercial spaceflight, such as being the first private entity to send humans into orbit and successfully recover a spacecraft. SpaceX collaborates with major clients, including NASA and the U.S. Armed Forces, providing services for satellite launches and space missions.
Security at SpaceX
Compiled from public job postings, careers pages, and company materials. Data may not reflect current state — verify during interviews.
Security Philosophy
“SpaceX's AppSec mission is to be a "trusted partner to development and business teams"and to ensure "security considerations are addressed without slowing down delivery."They act as the "primary point of contact between Security Engineering and development teams"and are involved in "monitoring and responding to bug bounty submissions."Their risk philosophy includes "Experience with threat modeling and secure architecture design"and a "defense-in-depth"approach. Stated goals and pain points include "Experience with secure code development practices"and a need for "automation/scripting (Python, Bash, PowerShell)."Information regarding explicit public statements of a formal AppSec mission page, public security charter, or published risk appetite for AppSec is not publicly available”
Security Team
- Key Public-Facing Leaders: Drew Orsinger, Chief Security Officer, who "serves as the Chief Security Officer of SpaceX."Paul 'IX' Kemppainen is referenced as a former SpaceX security leader. no reliable headcount.
- Active AppSec Job Postings (as_of:): At least 3 publicly listed roles (e.g., Application Security Engineer, Sr. Application Security Engineer, Security Software Engineer).
- Common Skill/Tool Patterns: "monitoring and responding to bug bounty submissions,""automation/scripting (Python, Bash, PowerShell),"and "Experience with threat modeling and secure architecture design."Public materials do not list internal org chart, explicit reporting lines to CISO/CTO, or complete list of AppSec leaders.
- LinkedIn people profiles for AppSec-specific leads were not discoverable publicly.
Key Initiatives
- Security Champions Program: No Evidence Found.
- Shift Left in Practice: The AppSec team acts as the "primary point of contact between Security Engineering and development teams"and is involved in 'Design and build security infrastructure for Starlink.com'.
- Vulnerability Management Process: Intake includes "monitoring and responding to bug bounty submissions"with "Rewards ranging from $100 to $50,000.""75% of submissions are accepted or rejected within 6 days."For Triage/Remediation, SpaceX states, "we will not initiate or support legal action against you."Secure SDLC Artifacts: Involve "Experience with threat modeling and secure architecture design"and 'Design and build security infrastructure for Starlink.com'.
- Recent Initiatives (Last 6 Months): Job postings and bug bounty program activity indicate ongoing hiring and active vulnerability disclosure program updates.
- No separate public announcement of new internal AppSec tool rollouts located in last 6 months.
- No public, detailed vulnerability triage SLAs (e.g., MTTR, ticket ownership) for internal developer-facing remediation workflows beyond bug bounty response statistics.
Preparing for an AppSec interview?
Get the weekly briefing 2,000+ security pros trust.
Interested in this role?
Apply on SpaceX's site