Senior Network Engineer

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others - with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers - we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.

The Role

You’ll help build and operate the networks that enable the design, testing, launch, and operation of high-powered satellites. You’ll be deeply hands-on - designing, deploying, and supporting resilient network infrastructure across production labs, factories, data centers, and cloud environments. You’ll work alongside Engineers pushing the limits of satellite capability, solving complex problems, and evolving our networks to keep pace with rapid iteration and mission-critical demands. As we scale, the systems you build and improve will directly enable faster development, more capable spacecraft, and reliable operations at every stage of the mission.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and operate enterprise and mission-critical network infrastructure across offices, factories, data centers, and cloud environments

• Provide hands-on support for day-to-day network operations, including troubleshooting connectivity, performance, and availability issues in production environments

• Configure, manage, and maintain firewalls and network security controls, including policy design, rule management, segmentation, and integration with security tooling

• Implement and support routing and switching infrastructure, including VLANs, BGP, OSPF, and high-availability network designs

• Support hybrid and cloud networking environments, including VPNs, site-to-site connectivity, and secure access to cloud resources

• Technology rollouts rollouts to support growing scale and complexity

• Monitor network performance and health, leveraging logging and observability tools to proactively identify and resolve issues

• Contribute to incident response efforts, performing root-cause analysis and implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence

• Maintain accurate network documentation, diagrams, and standard operating procedures

• Support vendor and service provider relationships, including circuit provisioning, troubleshooting, and performance management

• Promote operational best practices, including change management, configuration standards, and continuous improvement across the network environment

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in the Networking Architecture and Design, Network Implementation and Network Test Automation

• Foundation in IT network and systems methodology (analysis, design, development, testing, implementation, and post-implementation support)

• In-depth knowledge of networking protocols (e.g., BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, TCP/IP).

• Experience with logical design models (L2/L3, VPC, VDC, Datacenter Zones, Spanning Tree, VRF, VTP, VLANs, & cabling)

• Working technical knowledge of network control protocols (QoS, PfR, PoE, NTP, DHCP), network management protocols (CDP, FTP, TFTP, SNMP) and security protocols (SSH, HTTPS, AAA, IPSec, TrustSec)

• Relevant certifications (e.g., CCNP, CCIE, ITIL Foundations v3, etc.)

Nice to Have

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in computer science or engineering

• Technical certifications (i.e., Network+, MCSE, Security+)

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base salary range for this role is $140,000 - $180,000 and equity in the company

• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level

• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space 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.