Thermal Engineer, Satellites (Starlink)

SpaceX•Redmond, WA

16h

About The Position

SpaceX is hiring a Thermal Engineer for its Starlink satellite program. The role is responsible for the thermal design, testing, and validation of satellite hardware and custom-developed chips. The engineer will make design decisions to improve the vehicle and increase Starlink network performance, from early analysis and concepts through simulations, laboratory testing, ground-test validation, and review of orbital data. The position also focuses on automating engineering workflows, improving performance and robustness, simplifying operations, and producing clear documentation.

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.
Must meet U.S. export-control eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

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 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 satellite component thermal systems, from high-level analysis through validation using ground tests and orbital data.
Design thermal solutions for semiconductor packages, from initial concepts through detailed simulations and laboratory testing.
Devise, build, and conduct tests to validate hardware performance in extreme conditions.
Automate workflows to reduce engineering effort in the design cycle.
Pursue improvements to system performance and robustness.
Simplify operations and reduce the burden on other SpaceX groups.
Produce quality documentation to reduce missed details and improve efficiency.
Review peers’ work.

Benefits

Potential eligibility for long-term incentives in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards.
Potential discretionary bonuses.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan with the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount.
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.
Up to 3 weeks of accrued paid vacation.
10 or more paid holidays per year.
Washington State 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 through Friday.