Lead IT Systems Administrator, Launch
SpaceXHawthorne, CA$105k – $140kPosted 26 February 2026
Tech Stack
Job Description
<div class="content-intro"><p>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.</p></div><p><strong>LEAD IT SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR (LAUNCH)</strong></p>
<p>As the Lead IT Systems Administrator, you’re responsible for ensuring all IT procedures and systems supporting SpaceX’s launch operations are optimally tuned and ready to propel us towards our mission of becoming a multi-planetary species. This role requires excellent leadership skills, hands-on technical contribution, an action-oriented disposition, flexibility, and the propensity to flourish in a fast-paced and challenging environment.<br><br><strong>RESPONSIBILITIES: </strong> </p>
<ul>
<li>Lead a team of highly skilled IT professionals responsible for implementing, troubleshooting and maintaining IT infrastructure that directly supports SpaceX’s mission operations.</li>
<li>Enhance network monitoring capabilities by identifying operational blind-spots, solving them with custom scripting, filtering, and efficient dashboards.</li>
<li>Provide liaison support between SpaceX and the United States Space Force, NASA and commercial spaceflight customers, participating in technical briefings, evaluating requirements and connecting appropriate resources to solve challenges.</li>
<li>Coordinate and communicate with internal customers on systems architecture, IT best practices, and implementation strategies.</li>
<li>Actively collaborate with IT Systems Engineers on continuous improvement initiatives to bolster systems reliability and team efficiency.</li>
<li>Provide feedback and auxiliary support on efforts involving automation, production telemetry, preventative maintenance, incident response, customer request handling, etc.</li>
<li>Oversee and participate in day-to-day IT operations and procedures, ensuring seamless functionality and reliability during vehicle integration, test, and launch campaigns.</li>
<li>Develop and expand continuous testing platforms to provide streamlined change introduction and management in controlled environments.</li>
<li>Work closely with information security and compliance teams to enforce robust security controls while minimizing operational impact.</li>
<li>Provide coaching and mentorship to other members of the SpaceX team, fostering team cohesion, knowledge redundancy and professional growth.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:</strong> </p>
<ul>
<li>Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline OR 4+ years of experience in an IT administration or IT engineering role.</li>
<li>1+ years of professional experience leading technical teams and/or projects.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:</strong> </p>
<ul>
<li>Extensive experience deploying and troubleshooting Linux and Windows operating systems.</li>
<li>Experience deploying and supporting enterprise-grade networking infrastructure including switches, routers, and firewalls.</li>
<li>Ability to create, organize and maintain detailed technical documentation and operational runbooks.</li>
<li>Experience working in a mission-critical environment preferably within the aerospace or defense sectors.</li>
<li>Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.</li>
<li>Strong leadership skills including the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse team of IT professionals.</li>
<li>Working knowledge of storage architectures, virtualization technologies, and backup systems.</li>
<li>Ability to independently and effectively manage projects in an extremely fast paced and constantly changing environment.</li>
<li>Analytical mindset with excellent problem-solving abilities and a proactive approach to recognizing and overcoming technical challenges.</li> ... (truncated, view full listing at source)
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