Network Operations Technician (xAI / Starlink)

Details

xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. We operate with a flat organizational structure; all employees are expected to be hands-on, contribute directly to the company’s mission, and communicate concisely.

Role overview

As a Network Operations Technician you will be directly responsible for operating the growing Starlink Network as it scales to millions of users as well as the world’s largest SuperCompute Datacenter Networks. You will execute operational responses to real-time network events and anomalies, mitigate impact before significant service degradation occurs, facilitate incident response, and engage engineering teams to triage and resolve major issues. You will work with engineers across disciplines and external partners to ensure root cause analysis and mitigation, manage changes and maintenance to improve and sustain service, and work with operations engineering to improve operational processes and capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Detect and triage emerging anomalies on satellites, ground stations, terrestrial network interop, terrestrial network interconnections, network co-location sites, and internet points of presence
• Provide centralized awareness and management of routine and emergency maintenance performed by SpaceX personnel and partner contractors
• Execute rapid incident response for major network disruptions
• Own investigation, troubleshooting and resolution efforts for common network issues
• Provide advanced troubleshooting support and resolution for complex residential and enterprise escalations in coordination with internal teams
• Measure, preserve, and improve the uptime and performance of the Starlink Network
• Follow and improve processes used for operating the Starlink Network

Requirements

Basic qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalency certificate
• 1+ year of professional experience troubleshooting and operating computer systems in a network, IT, or security setting including but not limited to a Network Operations Center (NOC), Security Operations Center (SOC), Data Center Operations, etc.
• Must be available for day time on-shift rotations and weekends as needed

Preferred skills and experience

• Ability to take on projects that require initiative and developing new expertise
• Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment with fast-changing needs and requirements
• Experience in mission-critical operations where attention to detail and communication are required
• Industry recognized technical certifications (e.g., Network+, Security+, CCNA, JNCIA)
• Ability to perform network troubleshooting using packet captures and/or device telemetry to root cause network issues
• Familiarity with modern networking technologies including but not limited to:
  • Connectivity: MAC, WiFi, WDM, IPv4, IPv6
  • Switching: STP, VLANs, VXLANs, QinQ
  • Routing: BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, RDMA
  • Network services: DNS, DHCP, NTP, NAT
  • Network security: MACsec, ACLs, and Anti-DDoS measures
• Knowledge and troubleshooting of common consumer devices (IoT, home security and smart devices)
• Residential or business customer interaction experience; customer support preferred
• Experience with debugging complex systems using data analysis
• Basic software experience in Python, SQL, Bash or similar languages
• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Cybersecurity or STEM discipline (preferred)

Compensation and benefits

• Base salary: $44,000 - $88,000 USD (final level and base salary determined case-by-case based on location, knowledge and skills, education, and experience)
• Total rewards package includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks

Additional notes

• xAI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view the Recruitment Privacy Notice linked in the original posting.