Principal RF Engineer (Starshield)

SpaceX•Hawthorne, CA

14h

About The Position

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads. As an RF engineer on the Starshield team, you will work on advanced development programs supporting US National Security. You will collaborate with RF, DSP, software, and hardware engineers and end users to design and build RF capabilities for proliferated communications and remote sensing in low Earth orbit. The role is in a highly collaborative, fast-paced environment focused on solving unsolved problems and iterating rapidly from design and demonstration to operational capability.

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 meet the stated U.S. export-control eligibility requirements or be eligible to obtain 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 for radio astronomy, SIGINT, ELINT, radar, or wireless communications.
Knowledge of basic 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 closely 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, 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 to address 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, vision, and dental coverage.
401(k) retirement plan.
Short- and long-term disability insurance.
Life insurance.
Paid parental leave.
Various other discounts and perks.
Accrual of 3 weeks of paid vacation.
10 or more paid holidays per year.
Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy.
A 10% differential for employees with an active clearance who are officially briefed into a classified program, up to an additional $20,000 annually.