Software Engineer - X Data Engineering

xai· Engineering
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📍 Palo Alto, California💰 USD 125K–400K

About this role

SpaceXAI’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. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All employees are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

As a Data Engineer in X product engineering team, you will play a key role in providing comprehensive data solutions that own or serve a wide range of stakeholders, including our end-users and internal teams such as Product engineering, Algorithm, Legal, Finance and Sales. Our work utilizes AI, distributed computing and hybrid storage technologies, but extends beyond purely data-centric solutions, encompassing non-data-related challenges, ultimately maximizing the potential of data for the benefit of our diverse user base.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

You'll help build and operate a distributed data platform that powers hundreds of realtime and batch pipelines processing billions of events per day. The team runs like an internal startup — we own problems end to end, from raw event streams to the datasets, tooling, and metrics that product, growth, safety, and business teams depend on daily. In this role you will:

  • Design, build, and operate production-grade realtime and batch pipelines that ingest, process, validate, and deliver data powering user-behavior insights and product decisions.
  • Create shared datasets, fact tables, and internal data products that let other teams analyze, debug, and improve product performance.
  • Prototype and build tooling that automates and accelerates internal data workflows — backfills, dashboards, report generation, and self-serve access to data.
  • Own data correctness end to end: validate with output invariants, denominator reconciliation, and independent recomputation, and lead root-cause investigations when key metrics move unexpectedly.
  • Move fluidly across query engines and frameworks (e.g., BigQuery, Trino, Clickhouse for analytics; Flink, Kafka, Spark/Scalding for streaming and batch), choosing the right tool and adapting quickly to new infrastructure and environments.
  • Partner across product and business teams to surface where data gaps exist and prioritize the highest-impact opportunities for new data acquisition and improvement.
  • Iterate quickly on feedback, shipping the smallest useful increment with a strong bias toward efficient, accurate, and reliable solutions.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

We are looking for an engineer with 3+ years of professional software engineering experience, ideally in data engineering or distributed systems.

  • Hands-on expertise in Python, Rust, Scala, Go or Java, and data pipeline toolings and distributed systems. 
  • Knowledge of realtime and batch data processing tools such as Spark/Kafka/Flink/SQL and various storage systems in RMDBs/NoSQL
  • Experience solving large scale problems and comfortable doing incremental quality work while building brand new systems to enable future quality improvements. 
  • Proven records of interpreting product requirements into engineering implementation plans, and effectively communicating with different groups (AI, product, marketing/sales and engineering). 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

$125,000 - $400,000 USD

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at SpaceXAI, which also 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.

SpaceXAI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Software Engineer - X Data Engineering role at xai?
The listed salary for this Software Engineer - X Data Engineering position at xai is USD 125K–400K. This is an full-time role.
Where is the Software Engineer - X Data Engineering position at xai located?
This Software Engineer - X Data Engineering role at xai is based in Palo Alto, California. The position is listed as on-site or hybrid. Check the full job description or apply directly to confirm the work arrangement.
Which team or department does the Software Engineer - X Data Engineering at xai belong to?
This Software Engineer - X Data Engineering position is part of the Engineering department at xai. See the full job description for more information about the team structure and responsibilities.
How do I apply for the Software Engineer - X Data Engineering position at xai?
Click the "Apply Now" button on this page. You will be redirected to xai's official application portal hosted on greenhouse where you can submit your application directly.
When was the Software Engineer - X Data Engineering job at xai posted?
This Software Engineer - X Data Engineering position at xai was posted on Jul 12, 2026. Apply as soon as possible — early applications are often reviewed first.
Software Engineer - X Data Engineering
xai · 💰 USD 125K–400K
Apply for this role ↗

You'll be redirected to xai's official application page on Greenhouse.