Electrical Design Engineer, Starlink Ground Stations

ELECTRICAL DESIGN ENGINEER, STARLINK GROUND STATIONS

SpaceX is leveraging its experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and is providing fast, reliable internet to 5M+ users worldwide. We design, build, test, and operate all parts of the system – thousands of satellites, ground stations, consumer receivers that allow users to connect within minutes of unboxing, and the software that brings it all together. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink’s potential global impact. As we continue to upgrade and expand the constellation, we’re looking for best-in-class engineers to join the team.

The Starlink ground stations (Gateways) are the high-bandwidth internet connection to our satellites, comprising the world's largest and highest throughput satellite backhaul network. As an electrical design engineer on the Gateway team, you'll have extreme ownership over complex electrical hardware and system design for these ground stations, and work at the intersection of electrical, mechanical, thermal analysis, software, test, and antenna engineering to deliver new products from initial conception to production. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Design, develop, and test highly reliable electronics for communicating with our satellites
• Drive systems trades, requirements definition, component selection, analysis, schematic creation, PCB layout, prototyping, hardware bring-up, debugging, documentation, manufacturing, and verification test of complex electrical designs
• Get hands-on and support hardware through production, Gateway integration, and deployment.
• Partner with software, mechanical, thermal, manufacturing, and production test teams to solve complex, interdisciplinary problems.
• Drive continual improvements to designs by building physical and digital tools to analyze data collected in the field, lab, and production.
• Evaluate third-party electrical and design integration solutions for the reliable operation of our ground station antennas
• Demonstrate extreme ownership of product outcomes at every stage of development and production

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or physics
• 1+ years of experience designing circuits, electronic products, or hardware (internships and co-op experience can apply)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in electrical engineering or related field.
• Strong grasp of analog control and discrete logic design.
• 2+ years of electronic product experience designing hardware from concept through production; strong emphasis on full life cycle development of new hardware products and not small incremental updates to legacy hardware.
• 2+ years of professional experience rapidly designing and delivering highly reliable products.
• 2+ years of experience designing and implementing mixed-signal circuit boards from concept through production using processors, FPGAs, Ethernet, multi-GHz Serdes, DRAM interfaces (DDR4), I2C, SPI, operational amplifiers, analog to digital and digital to analog converters, and power supply components
• Knowledge of RF transceiver architectures and digital communication theory
• 1+ years of experience building and leading teams of high-performing engineering teams (extracurricular/school projects acceptable)
• Strong understanding of computers and programming languages (Python, C/C++)
• Understanding of design for fault tolerance and reliability.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, autonomously driven, and demanding start-up atmosphere

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission-critical deadlines.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:          

Electrical Design Engineer/Level I: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00/per year
Electrical Design Engineer/Level II: $115,000.00 - $150,000.00/per year   

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.