---
title: 'Sr. Fire & Life Safety Program Specialist at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/sr-fire-life-safety-program-specialist-spacex-starbase-dknnjyr0scay'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-22'
---

# Sr. Fire & Life Safety Program Specialist at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Starbase, TX
- **Posted:** 2026-09-16
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-22
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8814562002?gh_jid=8814562002

## 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.

## SR. FIRE & LIFE SAFETY PROGRAM SPECIALIST

Reporting to Facilities/Maintenance, the Sr. Fire & Life Safety Program Specialist owns the full lifecycle of fire detection and suppression systems for our industrial and aerospace manufacturing campus — from the maintenance and reliability program for existing fire alarm infrastructure to the design, permitting, and installation of new fire suppression and sprinkler systems. This is primarily a program and project management role: you will be the site’s single point of accountability for fire protection strategy, contractor and vendor performance, code compliance, and AHJ engagement.

Your deep technical background in fire alarm design and programming enables you to review vendor work critically, direct troubleshooting, and step in hands-on during emergencies and critical impairments. You will partner closely with EHS to identify and mitigate emerging fire hazards ranging from lithium-ion battery storage to aerospace vehicle integration.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Manage the maintenance, reliability, and upgrade program for existing industrial fire alarm systems across the site, including inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) per NFPA 72 and NFPA 25
- Provide project management for new installations of fire suppression and sprinkler systems, ranging from small-scope tenant improvements to multi-million-dollar capital projects, including scope development, budgeting, scheduling, bid packages, and contractor selection
- Serve as the site's technical authority for fire alarm design and programming: review and approve fire alarm, suppression, and sprinkler designs, submittals, and shop drawings from vendors and engineering firms; perform in-house design and panel programming for small-scope modifications where faster or more cost-effective than contracting out
- Direct troubleshooting and repair of fire alarm and suppression systems through service contractors, owning scope, quality, response time, and cost accountability; provide hands-on diagnosis and repair during emergencies, critical impairments, or when contractor response is inadequate
- Identify existing and emerging fire hazards — including lithium-ion battery storage and charging, energetic materials, flammable liquids, and aerospace vehicle integration operations — and drive engineering and administrative controls to mitigate them
- Partner with EHS to drive emergency response readiness, impairment management (fire watch), pre-incident planning, and post-incident investigation support
- Ensure compliance with applicable building and fire codes (IBC, IFC, NFPA standards) and company standards; maintain system documentation, as-builts, and ITM records
- Engage and maintain relationships with the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), fire marshal, and insurance carriers; manage permitting, plan review, acceptance testing, and inspections for fire protection projects
- Develop and manage annual operating and capital budgets for fire protection systems; forecast end-of-life replacements and reliability upgrades
- Support Alternate Means & Methods (AM&M) and performance-based design proposals to the AHJ where prescriptive code compliance is impractical
- Develop training for facilities technicians, security, and emergency response teams on fire system operation and impairment procedures

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- High school diploma or equivalency certificate
- NICET Level III or IV certification in Fire Alarm Systems
- 7+ years of experience in fire alarm and/or fire suppression system design, installation, programming, or maintenance
- 3+ years of experience in project or program management of fire protection or facilities construction projects

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- NICET Level IV in Fire Alarm Systems; additional NICET certification in Water-Based Systems Layout or Inspection & Testing of Water-Based Systems
- Bachelor's degree in fire protection engineering, engineering technology, construction management, or a related field
- Factory certification and programming experience on major fire alarm platforms (e.g., Notifier, Simplex, EST/Edwards, Siemens, Fire-Lite)
- Working knowledge of NFPA 13, 25, 72, 855, and 30, and the International Building and Fire Codes
- Experience with special hazards suppression (clean agent, water mist, deluge, foam) and hazardous material occupancies
- Experience managing fire protection in industrial, manufacturing, aerospace, or high-hazard environments
- Experience with lithium-ion battery energy storage system (ESS) fire protection and code requirements (NFPA 855, UL 9540A)
- Direct experience with AHJ negotiation, permitting, plan review, and acceptance testing
- Experience managing contractors and vendors, including bid evaluation, contract administration, and performance management
- PMP certification or equivalent project management training
- Proficiency with AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, and CMMS platforms

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Ability to respond to after-hours system troubles, impairments, and emergencies; participate in on-call rotation as needed
- Position may require extended hours and weekends to support outages, acceptance testing, and critical project milestones
- Ability to climb ladders, work at heights, work in industrial environments, and lift up to 25 lbs. unassisted
- This is a fully on-site position at a single campus; occasional travel for training or vendor factory acceptance testing (less than 5%)

## 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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