> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt. # Sr. AI Engineer, Special Programs - Top Secret Clearance Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/915e4bb42c4a9df4 SpaceX posts a senior FDE role to build what the customer runs in Washington, DC, at $220,000–$350,000 base, above the senior FDE median of $190,000 across 1,864 postings with pay. Own strategy, build, and deploy mission-critical AI solutions for U.S. federal agencies, partnering with agency stakeholders and internal product, research, infrastructure, and governance teams. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026. - [SpaceX](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/spacex) Posted May 21, 2026 by SpaceX · open on Greenhouse as of Nov 8, 2026 **$220,000–$350,000** Washington, DC Own strategy, build, and deploy mission-critical AI solutions for U.S. federal agencies, partnering with agency stakeholders and internal product, research, infrastructure, and governance teams. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F915e4bb42c4a9df4&placement=top) - [View posting at SpaceX](https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8557272002?gh_jid=8557272002) Free. Upload your resume once, see why each FDE role fits, and get introduced only when you say so. ## At a glance ### Posted base pay $220K–$350K Above the median Midpoint $285K · median $190K This job $220K to $350K. Senior FDE postings, 1,864 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $160K to $220K, median $190K. ### The work Builds what the customer runs Balance **Mostly building** Project stages 1. Pre-sales (not covered) 2. Proof of concept 3. Implementation 4. Operations Travel **Up to 20%** - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: External customers - **Level**: Senior - **Role**: Individual contributor ### What they ask for Experience - **5+ years** hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications - **6+ years** software engineering experience in environments requiring high reliability or security *Preferred* Background - **Software engineering** ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting asks for 5+ years. How many do you have? The posting reads as a senior role. What level are you at now? The job is in Washington, DC. Could you work there? Which of these have you used in production? Answer each one. Nothing is saved or sent. [What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths) ## Conditions - **Location**: Washington, DC - **Travel**: Up to 20% - **Pay**: ## More like this [SpaceX](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/spacex) ### [Sr. AI Engineer, Special Programs - Top Secret Clearance](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/ed430921c27565a8) Palo Alto, CA 5mo ago $220,000–$350,000 [Accenture](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/accenture) ### [Palantir Forward Deployed Engineer -Assoc Director](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/eed6abce4ec9270a) Chicago, IL · Milwaukee, WI · +39 more 2mo ago $138,800–$434,000 [Anthropic](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/anthropic) ### [Applied AI Engineer, Public Sector ](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/71513f5a11931534) Washington, DC On-site 4w ago $280,000–$320,000 - [Other jobs at SpaceX (20)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/spacex) ## The job description from SpaceX Posted by SpaceX on May 21, 2026 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. AI ENGINEER, SPECIAL PROGRAMS - TOP SECRET CLEARANCE Sr. AI engineers work directly with our end customers to own strategy, execution, and deployment of mission-critical AI solutions for U.S federal agencies. You'll work closely with product, research, infrastructure, and legal/governance teams to deliver high-stakes projects to make current AI and future models maximally useful for missions while upholding safety, transparency, and ethical standards. ### RESPONSIBILITIES - Design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models (e.g., Grok family) and government systems, platforms, and data environments. - Identify pain points, scoping product specifications, and designing and building AI-powered software for government or enterprise use cases. - Benchmark models and develop evaluation frameworks to assess performance and address weaknesses, ensuring compliance with customer standards. - Enhancing model performance through system prompt tuning or fine-tuning, with an eye toward secure and scalable deployment. - Analyze request logs, prompt data, or system outputs to ensure reliability and audibility. - Build internal tooling to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks in secure environments. - Partner with agency stakeholders to understand requirements, prototype solutions, and iterate rapidly based on real-world feedback. - Ship production-grade code and features with a bias toward speed, simplicity, and measurable impact. ### BASIC QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, computer engineering, physics, or data science. - 5+ years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications. - Active Top-Secret or Top-Secret SCI. ### PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE - Demonstrated success working with government agencies, DoD, or federal contractors on AI, software, or data projects. - 6+ years of software engineering experience, ideally in environments requiring high reliability or security. - Expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining robust, scalable, and secure AI-driven solutions that meet stringent compliance and operational standards. - Proven experience implementing AI or machine learning products with APIs, back-end systems, and front-end interfaces. - Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript. - Strong understanding of the HTTP protocol and secure API design. - Robust engineering background, preferably in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, or Data Science. - Experience building evaluation frameworks for AI systems and assessing capabilities in regulated or high-stakes contexts. - Deep understanding of machine learning fundamentals—model evaluation, training, and fine-tuning—with a focus on production-ready deployments. - History of deploying machine learning models to production, ideally in secure or cloud-based government environments. - Expertise in writing developer documentation or maintaining SDKs for technical audiences, including government developers. - Ability to work with massive datasets, optimize system performance, and scale solutions for high-throughput, mission-critical workloads. - Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Pulumi or Terraform, particularly in secure or government-aligned deployments. - Adaptability to shifting priorities and requirements in a fast-paced, mission-driven startup setting. - Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, with experience documenting technical solutions for diverse stakeholders. ### ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS - Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed. - 20% travel may be required to government sites. ### COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS Pay range: Sr. AI Engineer: $220,000.00 - $350,000.00/per year Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law. ### 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 *. * [View posting at SpaceX](https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8557272002?gh_jid=8557272002) ## About SpaceX Builds reusable launch systems, spacecraft, Starlink satellite connectivity, and integrated AI infrastructure to lower the cost of access to space and scale orbital services. Public · 5000+ people ## Similar jobs [Scale AI](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/scale-ai) ### [Senior Mission Software Engineer, Public Sector](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/423f9f8c01b5b901) Austin, TX · Colorado Springs, CO · +4 more Hybrid 3mo ago $186,000–$279,000 [STR](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/str) ### [Lead Mission Engineer - Full Stack ](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/473a8eb7a795e70f) Denver, CO · San Diego, CA · +2 more 6w ago $175,000–$240,000 [OpenAI](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/openai) ### [Applied AI Engineer, Government ](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/d9287f0bb0c2c80f) Washington, DC Hybrid 2mo ago $211,000–$302,000 [Amazon (incl AWS)](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/amazon-incl-aws) ### [Sr Forward Deployed Engineer, Forward Deployment Engineering](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/799ec8c403091b46) East Palo Alto, CA · Boston, MA · +3 more 2w ago $168,100–$261,500 [Salesforce](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/salesforce) ### [Lead Software Engineer, AI Labs (Product and Customer Facing)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/2d1c287890786103) San Francisco, CA · Washington, DC · +1 more 2w ago $148,500–$344,700 - [Compare senior FDE salary ranges](https://nextmove.md/fde/salary/senior) - [Similar jobs in Washington, DC area](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?region=dmv) - [Similar jobs that build what the customer runs](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs?role=builds-for-customers) Hiring at SpaceX and want this page changed or removed? 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