Sr. Electrical Design Engineer, Satellite Payload (Starlink)
SpaceXSunnyvale, CA$140k – $190kPosted 9 March 2026
Job Description
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.
SR. ELECTRICAL DESIGN ENGINEER, SATELLITE PAYLOAD (STARLINK)
The
Starlink
team
desi
gns, b
uilds, and operates
the world’s
most advanced
communi
cation netwo
rk.
Comprised o
f over
ten thou
sand sate
llites
in
l
ow Ear
th orbit
and
dozens o
f
ant
enna
ins
tallatio
ns
on the ground
,
this
syste
m
delivers
broadband
internet
to
more than
ten million
cus
tomers around the wo
rld.
We
develop
nearly e
very key p
iece of
technolo
gy in h
ouse
–
f
rom the
satellites’
flight
computer and
electric pro
p
ulsion syst
ems
to
the
ir
a
dvanced phased a
rray antennas
and the
AS
ICs which
enable
them.
W
e’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink’s potential global impact
, and a
s we continue to upgrade and
scale
the
system
, we’re looking for best-in-class engineers to join the team.
As an Electrical Design Engineer on the Starlink Payload Engineering team, you’ll have ownership over the entire life- cycle of the hardware that enables this connectivity, and sits at the intersection of electrical, mechanical, thermal, software, and antenna/RF engineering. Our team specializes in the design of industry-leading phased array and parabolic antennas, as well as the fully custom networking, compute, and modem hardware which drive them. Common design elements include high power mixed-signal ASICs, cutting edge PAM4 SerDes, fully custom RF front ends and antenna elements, highly reliable and dense power conversion and distribution, extreme temperature environments, custom copper and optoelectronic interconnect, and tight electromechanical/thermal integration designed for mass manufacturing. Engineers are deeply involved with their products from concept to deorbit. Typical ownership spans block diagrams and high-level concept of operations definition, requirements capture, part selection and schematic capture, PCB layout oversight, signal and power integrity analysis, supply chain and vendor engagement, hardware bring up and qualification, production test definition, troubleshooting and failure analysis, review of hardware performance on orbit, and the incorporation of lessons learned and design improvements for the next generation.
RESPONSIBILITIES :
Rapidly develop high-reliability electronics for satellites and spacecraft.
Drive system trades, requirements capture, component selection, analysis, schematic capture, PCB layout, prototyping, hardware bring-up, debugging, documentation, manufacturing, test, and on-orbit performance of complex electrical designs
Get hands-on and support hardware through production, satellite integration, and flight
Work closely with engineers from adjacent disciplines (mechanical, thermal, software, test, supply chain, silicon design, RF and antenna, ) to deliver tightly integrated, high-performance hardware
Challenge assumptions, question requirements, learn from your mistakes, and approach problems with an open mind
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, or another STEM discipline
5+ years of experience design/analysis ofcircuits, electronic products, or hardware
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE :
Master’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or similar engineering degree
5+ years of electronic product experience designing hardware from concept through production; strong emphasis on full life-cycle development of new hardware products and not small incremental updates to legacy hardware
3+ years of experience designing and implementing mixed-signal circuit boards from concept through production using processors, FPGAs, Ethernet, multi-GHz Serdes, DRAM interfaces (DDR ... (truncated, view full listing at source)
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