RF Engineer (Starship)

Full Time
Hawthorne, CA, USA
9 months ago

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.

RF ENGINEER (STARSHIP)

The Starship hardware development team supports the mission to revolutionize orbital flight and space travel- opening access for humankind to establish new frontiers in space and ultimately become a multi-planetary species. Our team builds some of the most advanced electronics ever flown in space- at a cost and rate previously considered unthinkable in the space industry. Become a part of this fast moving and world class hardware development team, work with super smart and motivated engineers, and achieve truly audacious goals. If you’re ready for a challenge and would like to help make our civilization multi-planetary then you’ve come to the right place!

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Rapidly design, develop and test highly reliable electronics for RF communications and navigation of rockets and spacecraft.
  • Drive RF and electrical system trades, requirements capture, component selection, analysis, schematic capture, prototyping, bring-up, debugging, documentation, manufacturing, and test
  • Support hardware from concept through production, qualification, integration, and flight

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
  • 1+ years of experience designing RF hardware or using test equipment.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • 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 experience working with test equipment such as spectrum analyzer, signal generator, network analyzer, channel emulator, power meters – and common RF passive components.
  • 2+ years of experience designing and testing RF circuit boards, including power amplifiers, low noise amplifiers, mixers, filters, combiners, and PLLs.
  • Knowledge of fundamental RF concepts such as impedance matching, non-linear characteristics (IIP2, IMD), transmission line theory, and electromagnetics
  • 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.
  • Strong understanding of computers and programming languages (Python, C/C++).
  • Demonstrated ability to work in a highly cross-functional role.
  • Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding start-up atmosphere.
  • Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
  • Passion for advancing the commercial space industry and human spaceflight.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:RF Engineer/Level I: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00/per year RF 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.

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.  

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 notify the Human Resources Department at (310) 363-6000