Sr. Power Electronics Engineer - Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (Starlink)
About The Position
SpaceX was founded on the belief that humanity's future lies in exploring the stars. Today, SpaceX is actively developing technologies to achieve this, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars. The company is leveraging its experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world's most advanced broadband internet system, which is the largest satellite constellation providing fast, reliable internet to over 10 million users globally. SpaceX designs, builds, tests, and operates all components of the system, including satellites, consumer receivers, and the integrating software. The Starlink Gateways are crucial for delivering internet from the ground to satellites, requiring cost-effectiveness, high performance in all weather, and long-term reliability. The Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) team is innovating RF vacuum electronics to power future space communications for SpaceX gateways, aiming to build hardware significantly faster and more cost-effectively than traditional industry standards. Additionally, the team develops high-voltage power supplies to achieve unparalleled performance in these high-frequency, high-bandwidth amplification systems. As a key member of this team, you will lead the design of sophisticated kV-level power supplies for TWTA systems, owning the full hardware lifecycle from concept to deployment, including prototyping, testing, integration, and iteration. This role involves close collaboration with experts in RF engineering, mechanical design, systems integration, and manufacturing. This is an opportunity to make a tangible impact for those passionate about advancing power electronics and contributing to humanity's multi-planetary future.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, or other STEM discipline
- 5+ years of professional experience in power converter development via professional work experience, project/research-based student experience, or a combination of both
- Previous experience working with magnetics and design of custom transformers and inductors, including planar magnetics
- Experience in modeling, simulation, and testing of power electronics
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree in electrical engineering or related field
- Demonstrated full-cycle ownership of a hardware project from concept to implementation
- Strong grasp of analog control and discrete logic design
- Working experience in voltage and current mode control and compensation design
- Strong grasp of DC-DC topologies, with ability to select optimal architectures and components
- Understanding of design for fault tolerance and reliability
- Familiar with failure mode effects and criticality analysis
- Practical skills with in-lab impedance measurement and loop-gain measurement
- Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills
Responsibilities
- Own hardware from conceptual design through high volume production and ground station operation
- Deliver engineering expertise in designing, analyzing, and rigorously testing of DC-DC power converters built to thrive in harsh environments
- Design power supplies that support 10s of kilovolts and hundreds of watts
- Dive into electrical power system and sub-system design trades, shaping requirements that optimize performance, efficiency, and reliability
- Lead in defining and executing comprehensive verification testing and analysis for electrical power systems
- Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of engineers to define power electronics hardware
- Rapidly iterate on designs, analysis and test to inform high level systems trades and steer overall product direction
- Interact with digital embedded devices, analog sensing and telemetry, system controls, etc.
- Demonstrate extreme ownership of product outcomes at every stage of development and production
Benefits
- 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 time (for employees in Washington State)
- Company shuttles for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office
- 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
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees
