Astra’s mission is to improve life on Earth from space by creating a healthier and more connected planet. Today, Astra offers one of the lowest cost-per-launch dedicated orbital launch services, and one of the industry’s leading flight-proven electric propulsion systems for satellites, the Astra Spacecraft Engine.

The Opportunity 

As a Senior DevOps Engineer, you’ll lead the design and implementation of highly reliable, scalable, and automated infrastructure systems—with a strong emphasis on Python-based tooling. You’ll own key DevOps initiatives, mentor teammates, and partner with engineering and operations leaders to build robust systems that support Astra’s spaceflight platform and internal development environments.

How You'll Fulfill Your Mission

• Architect, develop, and maintain automation solutions using Python to support infrastructure, deployment, and internal tools
• Lead the design and maintenance of scalable CI/CD pipelines to accelerate development cycles and ensure consistent delivery
• Own infrastructure-as-code practices using tools like Terraform or Pulumi for cloud and hybrid environments
• Develop Python-based services and scripts for system monitoring, provisioning, testing, and observability
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to containerize and deploy software in secure and resilient ways (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Design fault-tolerant systems that ensure uptime for critical applications, including telemetry and launch operations
• Mentor junior engineers and guide DevOps best practices across the organization
• Improve disaster recovery, system hardening, and secure operations procedures
• Participate in on-call rotation and help evolve incident response frameworks

Why We Value You

• 5+ years of experience in DevOps, SRE, or Infrastructure Engineering roles
• Strong Python development skills, with a portfolio of automation tools or services
• Expertise in CI/CD systems, infrastructure-as-code, and cloud architecture (AWS/GCP/Azure)
• Deep knowledge of Linux systems, networking, and security best practices
• Proven experience with containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes)
• Familiarity with monitoring/logging tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, Datadog)
• Ability to influence architecture decisions and drive systems design discussions
• Comfortable working in fast-paced environments and managing competing priorities
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative, proactive approach

Desired Multipliers 

• Background in aerospace, high-reliability systems, or real-time infrastructure
• Experience integrating Python-based DevOps tools into hardware/software pipelines
• Contributions to open-source DevOps or infrastructure projects
• Experience with secrets management, secure networking, and compliance frameworks
• Passion for space and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible

The pay range for this role is: $160,000 - $185,000 per year

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base salary range in the San Francisco Bay Area and excludes additional earnings such as bonus and benefits. If your salary requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply.

You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Astra, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

San Francisco Applicants: Astra will consider applicants with arrest and conviction records (criminal histories) in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

ITAR Requirements: This position requires compliance with U.S. Government space technology  trade restrictions, specifically the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and additional regulations governing satellite, launch vehicle, missile, and other related technologies. All jobs restricted by these regulations will be contingent upon the applicant’s status as a documented U.S. Person or their ability to receive a trade license from the cognizant government agency; in addition to any required company background checks and in compliance with applicable U.S. and California laws. Similarly, positions requiring the ability to work on government contracts or a security clearance are also contingent upon the applicants ability to receive the appropriate clearance and be allowed to work on U.S. government contracts.