Principal RF Engineer (Starshield)

SpaceX•Hawthorne, CA

1d•$210,000 - $340,000

About The Position

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. Unlike Starlink, which is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, initially focusing on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads. The Principal RF Engineer will work on advanced development programs supporting US National Security. Working with RF, DSP, software, and hardware engineers and end users, the role designs and builds RF capabilities for proliferated communications and remote sensing in low Earth orbit. The work takes place in a highly collaborative, fast-paced environment focused on solving new problems and rapidly iterating from design and demonstration to operational capability. The position offers a Level 3 pay range of $210,000 to $340,000. Actual level and base salary depend on job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Total rewards may include company stock or long-term cash awards, discretionary bonuses, an employee stock purchase plan, medical, vision, and dental coverage, a 401(k) plan, short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, discounts and perks, accrued paid vacation, paid holidays, and paid sick leave. Employees with an active clearance who are officially briefed into a classified program receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually. Applicants must meet U.S. Government export-control eligibility requirements. An active clearance may provide the opportunity to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; in that case, pre-employment drug testing and random drug and alcohol testing apply. The role requires willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering or electrical engineering.
At least 8 years of RF engineering experience.
Experience with modeling and analysis tools or software such as HFSS, CST, ADS, MATLAB, C/C++, and/or Python.
Experience with RF test equipment such as a VNA and spectrum analyzer.
Experience creating and maintaining link budgets and analyses related to communications or remote sensing systems.
Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
Must satisfy the stated U.S. Government export-control eligibility requirements, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in electrical engineering with an emphasis in microwave/RF engineering.
Experience modeling RF and channel impairments such as multipath, phase noise, group delay, fading, and nonlinear distortion.
Experience designing RF systems including radio astronomy, SIGINT, ELINT, radar, or wireless communications.
Experience with basic principles of antenna theory.
Experience with software-defined radios and frameworks such as GNU Radio.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret SCI clearance.

Responsibilities

Drive program-level decisions on RF system designs.
Research novel solutions for unique, large-scale satellite RF systems.
Collaborate with hardware, FPGA, DSP, and software engineers to design and validate RF systems.
Develop and provide full life-cycle support for RF hardware, including PCBA board testing and defect detection, full functional testing of assembled units, and resolution of on-orbit vehicle anomalies.
Create electromagnetic simulation models of hardware, including antennas, filters, and PCB layouts, to design and evaluate performance.
Modify electrical schematics and mechanical drawings for flight applications in support of reliability and manufacturability.

Benefits

Potential long-term incentives in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards.
Potential discretionary bonuses.
Ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
Comprehensive medical coverage.
Vision coverage.
Dental coverage.
401(k) retirement plan.
Short- and long-term disability insurance.
Life insurance.
Paid parental leave.
Various discounts and perks.
Accrued paid vacation of 3 weeks.
10 or more paid holidays per year.
Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy.
10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, for employees with an active clearance once officially briefed into a classified program.