Site Reliability Engineer

Job description

Spacecraft represent the most pressing unmet need across the entire aerospace industry. As more launch vehicles come online and the cost to orbit decreases, more companies launching payloads to space continue to emerge. For the first time in history, this influx of payload companies combined with reduced launch costs has resulted in a massive increase in need for commercial spacecraft platforms, known as satellite buses. These buses hold the payloads of our customers and are flown on launch vehicles. Apex manufactures these satellite buses at scale using a combination of software, vertical integration, and hardware that is designed for manufacturing. Our spacecraft enable the future of society: ranging from earth observation to communications and more. We’d love for you to join us on our mission of providing humankind access to the galaxy beyond our planet.  ABOUT THE ROLE We are seeking a Site Reliability Engineer to join our Ground Software team. As a Site Reliability Engineer, you will design, build, and operate the ground and site network infrastructure that connects Apex facilities and mission operations across both commercial and secured environments. This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who is equally comfortable architecting a highly available Kubernetes platform, and defining the security posture that keeps it all compliant. You will be a primary technical owner, setting the standards that the rest of the team builds on. RESPONSIBILITIES: - Architect and build ground and site network infrastructure spanning commercial and secured or classified environments through the platform layer. - Design, deploy, and scale highly available Kubernetes clusters that support workloads across multiple security and classification levels. - Own the security posture of ground infrastructure, defining and enforcing controls, hardening, and compliance for sensitive government and commercial programs. - Build and maintain infrastructure as code using Terraform, Terragrunt, and similar tooling so that environments are repeatable, reviewable, and fast to stand up. - Establish observability across the ground network, including monitoring, metrics, logging, and alerting, so issues are caught before they reach a mission. - Design and run CI/CD pipelines and automation that streamline deployments and reduce manual, error-prone work. - Act as a primary site reliability engineer for ground systems, driving uptime, incident response, and reliability standards on programs where downtime is not an option. - Partner with security, mission operations, and program teams to translate requirements into infrastructure that is both compliant and operable. - Set architectural standards and mentor other engineers, raising the bar for how ground infrastructure is built at Apex. REQUIREMENTS: - Applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by U.S. export-control law. - 5+ years of experience in site reliability, infrastructure, or network engineering, with a meaningful portion in aerospace, defense, satellite, or another mission-critical domain. - Hands-on experience architecting and operating ground network or large-scale production network infrastructure. - Deep expertise with Kubernetes and containers, including building and scaling high availability clusters in production. - Strong networking fundamentals across routing, switching, segmentation, and secure network design. - Proven experience with infrastructure as code with CI/CD, automation, and observability tooling such as Prometheus, Grafana, or similar. - Working knowledge of security and compliance for regulated or classified environments, and the judgment to design a defensible security posture. - Proficiency scripting and building tooling in Python, Go, or a comparable language. NICE-TO-HAVES - Active Top Secret or Top Secret/SCI clearance - Prior experience supporting classified or government space programs or standing up infrastructure across multiple classification levels. - Familiarity with GitOps workflows and tools such as ArgoCD, and with modern observability stacks including Mimir. #LI-AB1 WHY JOIN APEX? Apex believes in creating a work environment that you look forward to embracing every day. Our employees love working at Apex, and we want you to love it too. We're a fast-growing startup that has raised more than $500M in funding, and we invest heavily in our people from day one. WHAT WE OFFER FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES: - Shared upside: Receive equity in Apex, letting you benefit from the work you create - Best-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision for you and your dependents, plus $100k life insurance at no cost - Comprehensive PTO package: Starting at 15 days vacation, growing to 20+ days annually, plus 10 paid holidays - Competitive 401(k) plan: Generous matching - 100% match on first 3%, 50% on next 2% - 8 weeks paid parental leave: Plus childcare reimbursement up to $350/day for work-related travel - Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks: To keep you fueled throughout the day - Vibrant community: Monthly office socials, pickleball tournaments, run club, and gatherings for you and your family - Your dream desk setup: All the tools you need to be your most productive self - World-class Playa Vista office: With the benefit of in-person collaboration with amazing coworkers and flexibility to integrate work and life - Real impact opportunity: Work alongside experts from aerospace, new space, and other cutting-edge industries to make a lasting difference ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Compensation ranges are set by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. A candidate's specific level and base pay are determined case by case and may vary with job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities, and internal equity. Beyond base salary, full-time hires are also eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options, along with medical, dental, and vision coverage and a 401(k) retirement plan. ITAR REQUIREMENTS Apex's work is governed by U.S. export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). To be eligible for this role, applicants must either (1) qualify as a U.S. Person, meaning a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), a refugee admitted under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or an individual granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or (2) be able to obtain the required export authorizations from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, or another applicable U.S. government agency. You can learn more about ITAR here https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Apex Technology, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, 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.