---
title: 'OT Systems Engineer, Mission Systems at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/ot-systems-engineer-mission-systems-spacex-cape-canaveral-2yw8rf79qdc9'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# OT Systems Engineer, Mission Systems at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Cape Canaveral, FL
- **Posted:** 2026-08-12
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8679947002?gh_jid=8679947002

## 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.

## OT SYSTEMS ENGINEER, MISSION SYSTEMS

SpaceX is looking for a highly skilled and versatile OT (Operational Technology) Systems Engineer to implement and support the backend infrastructure for our next-generation controls and industrial software platforms critical to our launch, manufacturing, and commodities generation environments. This role is embedded within the mission IT organization to provide support to dedicated controls engineering organizations while leveraging adjacent IT expertise, tooling, and technologies. This role will balance support of legacy controls support systems with modernization and continuous improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate thrives in high-stakes settings, brings a strong sense of urgency balanced with operational excellence, and combines deep OT expertise with IT technologies such as virtualization, VDI, GitOps, network-level redundancy and edge compute solutions to create streamlined and secure ICS environments.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Design, deploy, and augment next-generation OT environments that support plant and launch systems across multiple sites.
- Install, configure, maintain, and support industry-standard controls software platforms as well as internally developed HMIs.
- Integrate established and emergent IT technologies to simplify management, improve security, and create scalable plant environments.
- Deploy and maintain development, test, and staging environments to enable controlled, systematic change introduction.
- Provide direct support during launch, test, and production campaigns.
- Perform systems/software upgrades and maintenance between critical operations (including evenings and weekends as needed).
- Proactively monitor services and respond rapidly to incidents to maintain high availability and performance.
- Leverage automation tools and contribute to infrastructure-as-code and broader DevOps initiatives with a focus on ICS environments.
- Work with internal controls engineers to iterate on simulation and emulation environment to enhance test coverage and augment change control processes.
- Write and maintain standards, architectures, best practices, and documentation (including system overviews, design drawings, and operational procedures), with emphasis on highly reliable and secure industrial environments, especially at data boundaries.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (IT, security, controls, and operations) as well as external customers and integrators to design robust OT architectures and resolve technical issues.
- Ensure OT systems are configured and maintained in compliance with industry and cybersecurity standards (e.g., Purdue Model, IEC 62443).

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, or other STEM discipline and 3+ years of professional experience in OT systems engineering or industrial control systems administration; OR 5+ years of professional experience in OT systems engineering or industrial control systems administration in lieu of a degree.
- Hands-on experience with multiple industry standard controls software platforms and tools.
- Significant experience designing, deploying, supporting, and troubleshooting OT environments in high-reliability settings.

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Experience supporting real-time systems, industrial control networks, or operational technology (OT) environments in aerospace, defense, energy, or similar high-reliability industries.
- Experience designing architectures that incorporate hyperconverged, rugged industrial edge, and distributed compute technologies.
- Working knowledge of industrial protocols, controls networks, and OT cybersecurity best practices.
- Proficiency in scripting (Bash/PowerShell/Python) and automation frameworks (Puppet, Terraform, Ansible, etc.).
- Experience with configuration management, provisioning, infrastructure as code, and DevOps concepts/tools.
- Familiarity with Active Directory, multi-platform authentication, and identity environments in OT contexts.
- System administration experience managing Windows and Linux servers, rudimentary database administration exposure, and storage/backup experience.
- Network administration experience and understanding of the OSI model, especially Layer 1/2/3 considerations as they apply to industrial and controls networks.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate with internal/external customers, vendors, and management in both formal and informal situations.

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Ability to pass DoD background check for launch site access.
- Willingness to participate in an after-hours on-call rotation and work extended hours or weekends as necessary.
- Willingness to travel (up to 20%, including flying to other sites worldwide) and potential time at sea supporting marine systems.
- Ability to lift 30 lbs.
- Ability to work at heights.
- Ability to drive (active valid driver's license).

## 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](https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987).

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.

## About SpaceX

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft while building a global satellite broadband network and AI infrastructure to enable interplanetary life.
- **Entity Type**: Public (Nasdaq: SPCX) – IPO priced at $135/share on June 12, 2026
- **Headquarters**: Starbase, Texas (primary); Hawthorne, California (historical headquarters)
- **Founded**: 2002
- **Founders**: Elon Musk

## Core Business
- **Industries**: Aerospace & Defense, Spaceflight, Satellite Telecommunications, Artificial Intelligence
- **Target Customers**: Government (NASA, U.S. Armed Forces, international agencies), Commercial satellite operators, Broadband consumers (Starlink), Defense/intelligence (Starshield)
- **Mission**: To make humanity multiplanetary by building the integrated hardware and software infrastructure of the future across space, connectivity, and AI.

## Products & Services
- **Falcon 9**: Reusable two-stage rocket – the world’s most launched orbital rocket, with over 630 successful first-stage reflights.
- **Falcon Heavy**: Heavy-lift launch vehicle composed of three Falcon 9 cores; capable of lifting nearly 64 metric tons to orbit.
- **Starship**: Fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle and spacecraft (largest ever built) designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
- **Dragon 2**: Crew and cargo spacecraft used for NASA Commercial Crew and private missions to the ISS and beyond.
- **Starlink**: Low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation providing high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to over 10.3 million people globally.
- **Starshield**: Military-grade satellite services for national security and defense customers.
- **SpaceXAI**: Division focused on AI compute infrastructure, frontier models, and real-time data processing (including AI compute satellites).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Conflicting reports – Internal share offer in 2025 valued SpaceX at **$800 billion**; IPO pricing (June 2026) implied a market capitalization of approximately **$75 billion** for the shares offered.
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of **$15.0 billion** (2025); total funding raised **$15.2 billion** across 56 rounds.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Google (led $1B Series G), Intesa Sanpaolo, NASA, U.S. Space Force, and numerous institutional investors.
- **Growth Signals**: Employee headcount of **11,387** (monthly growth +2.5%); **1,671 active job postings**; Falcon 9 launch cadence of 1–3 per week; Starlink subscriber base covering ~10.3 million people; recent acquisition of xAI (February 2026).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Full reusability**: Only company with a fleet of reusable orbital rockets (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy), dramatically lowering per-launch cost.
- **Vertical integration**: Designs, manufactures, and operates its own rockets, spacecraft, satellite constellation, and AI platform – enabling rapid iteration and cost control.
- **Scale and reliability**: More orbital launches per year than any other provider (public or private); proven track record with NASA and DoD.
- **First-mover in commercial spaceflight**: Established crew transport, satellite internet, and now AI compute in orbit.

## Strategic Focus
- **Starship development**: Complete testing and operational deployment of the fully reusable Starship system for lunar (Artemis) and Mars missions.
- **Starlink expansion**: Grow subscriber base, launch V3 satellites, and extend mobile and direct-to-cell services.
- **AI integration**: Leverage SpaceXAI for on-orbit compute and real-time data analytics; build AI compute satellites.
- **Interplanetary infrastructure**: Develop technologies for sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Employees directly contribute to making life multiplanetary – “hard work and innovative solutions result in big gains.”
- **Impactful projects**: Work on reusable rockets, crewed spacecraft, global broadband, and AI systems that are actively changing the space industry.
- **Compensation**: Competitive salaries, comprehensive health benefits, and equity packages.
- **Work locations**: Primary campuses in Hawthorne, CA and Starbase, TX (with additional sites in Cape Canaveral, FL and Vandenberg, CA). Roles span engineering, software, manufacturing, and support.
- **Engineering culture**: Merit-based, fast-paced, with high ownership; top talent sourced from Tesla, Boeing, NASA JPL, and other aerospace leaders.
- **Open roles**: Over 1,600 active positions across software, AI, avionics, propulsion, supply chain, and more – including internships.

## Sources
1. [SpaceX Careers Page](https://www.spacex.com/careers)
2. [LinkedIn – SpaceX Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/spacex)
3. [SpaceX IPO Factsheet (PDF)](https://content.spacex.com/cms-assets/FINAL_Documents%20and%20Updates/SpaceX%20IPO_Factsheet.pdf)
4. [SpaceX IPO Pricing Press Release](https://ir.spacex.com/updates/releases-details/2026/Space-Exploration-Technologies-Corp--Announces-Pricing-of-Initial-Public-Offering/default.aspx)
5. [SpaceX Jobs Board (Greenhouse)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacex)

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