Thermal Engineer, Satellites (Starlink)

SpaceX•Redmond, WA

1d•$100,000 - $165,000

About The Position

At SpaceX, the Thermal Engineer on the Starlink team is responsible for thermal design, testing, and validation of Starlink satellite hardware and custom-developed chips. The role involves making engineering decisions to improve the vehicle and increase the performance of the Starlink network. Work spans thermal design from initial concepts through detailed analysis, testing, and validation using ground tests and orbital data.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
At least 1 year of industry experience; internships and co-ops may count.
Must be available to work extended hours and weekends as needed for mission-critical deadlines.

Nice To Haves

Experience with chip thermal design tools such as Flotherm or Icepak.
At least 1 year of experience using scientific programming languages, including through internships.
Experience with Thermal Desktop and ANSYS Workbench.
Experience with 3D and reduced-order thermal modeling.
Ability to identify sizing cases and quickly evaluate the impact of design decisions.
Working knowledge of scripting languages.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to deliver against an aggressive schedule.

Responsibilities

Design thermal systems for satellite components, from high-level analysis through validation using ground tests and orbital data.
Design semiconductor package thermal systems, from high-level concepts through detailed thermal simulations and lab testing.
Devise, build, and conduct tests to validate hardware performance in extreme conditions.
Automate workflows to reduce engineering investment in the design cycle.
Pursue improvements in performance and robustness.
Pursue operational simplicity and reduce the burden on other SpaceX groups.
Produce quality documentation to reduce missed issues and improve efficiency.
Review peers’ work.

Benefits

Potential eligibility for long-term incentives, including 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 other discounts and perks.
May accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation.
Eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.
Washington State employees accrue paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law.
Company shuttles for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office, Monday to Friday.