# Development Lead **Company:** [SpaceX](https://zerogtalent.com/space-companies/spacex) **Location:** Starbase, TX **Work mode:** On-site **Seniority:** Senior **Employment type:** Full Time **Category:** Legal **Department:** Legal and Environmental Operations - Starbase **Listed:** 2026-11-11 [View and apply on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/space-jobs/spacex/development-lead-8938107002) ## What you'll do - Originate and screen candidate sites against power, land, water, fuel and permitting criteria - Secure site control by negotiating options, purchases, leases and easements - Build and maintain relationships with utilities, landowners, local governments and community leaders - Lead local approvals and incentives including zoning and public meetings - Prepare EPC and consultant requests for proposals and support contracting ## What you need - Bachelor’s degree and 5+ yrs in energy, data center, real estate, or industrial infrastructure - 8+ yrs professional experience without a degree - Experience negotiating land or commercial agreements - Contract management experience - Familiarity with GPU/TPU clusters and high-bandwidth networking ## Job description SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars. **DEVELOPMENT LEAD** SpaceXSI builds and powers the supercompute facilities that fuel our mission of accelerating human scientific discovery through AI. Power is the constraint on how fast that compute comes online, and the Development team exists to remove it. We are seeking a Development Lead to run power and supercompute site projects within a Development pod. This is a jack-of-all-trades role: you will originate and secure sites, build local and utility relationships, lead community and government outreach, manage real estate and commercial transactions, and keep the pod's regulatory and engineering work moving on schedule. **RESPONSIBILITIES:** - Originate and screen candidate sites against power, land, water, fuel and permitting criteria with the pod's Specialists. - Secure site control: identify properties, negotiate options, purchases, leases and easements, and manage dispositions, terminations and assignments with SpaceXSI Legal & Regulatory and Real Estate. - Build and maintain relationships with utilities, landowners, local governments, economic development organizations and community leaders. - Lead local approvals and incentives, including zoning, development agreements, tax abatements and public meetings. - Secure water, wastewater and fuel supply commercially, including gas supply and transportation, with Regulatory Counsel and the Specialists. - Own the project schedule, action list and stakeholder map, and run regular pod coordination meetings. - Prepare Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) and consultant requests for proposals and support contracting through notice to proceed. - Work with Legal and Finance to execute transactions, including terms, timely and accurate payments, and required documents and deliverables. **BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:** - Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of professional experience in energy, data center, real estate, or industrial infrastructure development, or 8+ years of professional experience without a degree. **PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:** - Experience negotiating land or commercial agreements and managing multiple external stakeholders. - Licensed real estate agent in CA, WA, TX, and/or FL. - Contract management experience. - Familiarity with the infrastructure demands of AI and machine learning workloads, including GPU/TPU clusters and high-bandwidth networking. - Experience working in fast-paced, mission-driven organizations. - Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across technical and non-technical teams. **ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:** - This is not a remote or hybrid position and will require relocation. - Position occasionally requires the ability to work extended hours or weekends when needed. **ITAR REQUIREMENTS:** - To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR [here](https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987).   SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX 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. Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [EEOCompliance@spacex.com](mailto:EEOCompliance@spacex.com)_._ ## Other open roles at SpaceX - [Technical Recruiter, IT](https://zerogtalent.com/space-jobs/spacex/technical-recruiter-it-8938238002) — Hawthorne, CA - [Civil Engineer, Site Development](https://zerogtalent.com/space-jobs/spacex/civil-engineer-site-development-8938191002) — College Station, TX - [Civil Engineer, Site Development](https://zerogtalent.com/space-jobs/spacex/civil-engineer-site-development-8938131002) — Starbase, TX - [Civil Engineer, Site Development](https://zerogtalent.com/space-jobs/spacex/civil-engineer-site-development-8938174002) — Bastrop, TX - [Civil Engineer, Site Development](https://zerogtalent.com/space-jobs/spacex/civil-engineer-site-development-8938178002) — Cape Canaveral, FL --- *Source: [Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com), the job board for space, defense, AI, robotics and frontier-tech companies.*