Sr. Space Lasers Engineer, User Products (Starshield)

SpaceX•Hawthorne, CA

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. SPACE LASERS ENGINEER, USER PRODUCTS (STARSHIELD) 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. SpaceX is looking to hire an opto-mechanical or electro-optical engineer to work with our brilliant and passionate User Products team. In this role, you will own the design, testing, integration and on-orbit operations for the Starshield Mini Space Laser. These Lasers are designed for seamless integration with satellite manufacturers’ spacecraft to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity on orbit, enabling real-time tasking, continuous command-and-control, and immediate data delivery to terrestrial points of presence.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or other engineering discipline
5+ years of hands-on laboratory or professional work experience in laser technology, electrical or mechanical systems, or testing

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or PhD in physics or an engineering or STEM discipline
Experience in designing, testing and implementing circuit boards or mechanical components
Experience in a computer programming language (e.g. C++, LabVIEW, and/or Python)
Knowledge of digital communication systems including spread spectrum, forward error correction, and modulation types such as QPSK, QAM, PCM/FM, and PAM
Experience with mixed-signal circuits, processors, FPGAs, Ethernet, SERDES, DRAM interfaces (DDR4), I2C, SPI, operational amplifiers, analog to digital and digital to analog converters, and power supply components
Hands-on experience in optical design or system design, integration, and test of laser communication systems
Knowledge of and experience in lasers, photodiodes, fiber optics, optics testing/troubleshooting techniques, and signal integrity principles
Knowledge of and experience in free-space optical principles, optical component testing/troubleshooting techniques, precision metrology techniques, manufacturing and integration processes
Experience leading development of commercial communications products
Experience with hardware development for high-reliability applications
Ability to assess risk and make design and development decisions without all available data
Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding atmosphere
Experience with infrared system alignment and characterization
Competence with Python scripting and a Linux operating system environment
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Active Top Secret, Top Secret SCI, or DOE Level Q clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.

Responsibilities

Apply expertise to laser communication system development, including design, analysis, and validation
Participate in verification testing, including environmental qualification, performance characterization, reliability testing, and fault injection testing
Represent the laser communications system in program-level, cross-disciplinary trades and issue resolution
Define requirements for high-data-rate laser communication systems in challenging environmental conditions
Review test data and lead anomaly investigation and resolution
Maintain link budgets, design specifications, and system capabilities data
Interface with manufacturing and supply chain teams to ensure final designs can be produced in accordance with overall project goals
Collaborate with software and automation teams to develop test and production scripts and tools
Represent laser communications systems for reliability and risk discussions with internal reliability teams, management, customers, and vendors
Design, develop, and implement avionics hardware for space laser systems including high-speed digital communications, analog circuits, optical sensors, and photonic chip drivers

Benefits

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