Principal RF Software Engineer (Starshield)

SpaceX • Hawthorne, CA

119d • $200,000 - $270,000

About The Position

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. As a RF software engineer on the Starshield team, you will be working on advanced development programs in support of US National Security. You will work with a team of RF engineers, DSP engineers, software engineers, hardware engineers and end users to design and build RF capabilities for proliferated communications and remote sensing in low earth orbit. You will work in a highly collaborative and fast-paced environment, where we are exploring unsolved problems and applying the SpaceX mindset of iterating rapidly to go from design and demo to operational capability at lightning pace.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or other engineering discipline
• 8+ years of professional development experience in C/C++ or Python
• Experience with radio test equipment such as spectrum analyzers, vector signal analyzers, vector signal generators, and network analyzers
• RF experience with antennas or communication systems

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in electrical engineering or other engineering discipline
• Experience with testing both active and passive RF devices such as filters, amplifiers, mixers, and upconverters/downconverters
• Experience with common RF concepts such as gain, linearity, P1dB, ACLR, EVM, PAE, S-parameters, and input/output matching
• Experience with software design principles, software architecture, design patterns, and unit/integration testing methodology
• Experience with environmental test methodologies and equipment such as thermal chambers and temperature forcing systems
• Experience troubleshooting interactions between software and hardware such as network devices and lab instrumentation
• Experience using Windows and Linux operating systems
• Experience with configuration management and version control software

Responsibilities

• Drive program-level decisions on RF system designs
• Research novel solutions for unique large-scale satellite RF systems
• Design, build, validate, and automate RF test benches for full characterization of custom RF designs, often involving vector network analyzers (VNA), vector signal generators (VSG), vector signal analyzers (VSA), spectrum analyzers, load pulls, RF power meters, high-speed oscilloscopes, and other common lab equipment
• Design and build modular, scalable RF test infrastructure and test automation sequences in Python and C++ to support design validation, qualification, and production
• Work in close collaboration with hardware, FPGA, DSP, and software engineers to design and validate RF systems
• Create electromagnetic simulation models of hardware to design and evaluate performance

Benefits

• Pay range: $200,000.00 - $270,000.00/per year
• Long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, 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
• Access to a 401(k) retirement plan
• Short and long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Various other discounts and perks
• 3 weeks of paid vacation
• 10 or more paid holidays per year
• Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees