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.
GATEWAY ENGINEER (STARSHIELD)
In a dynamic global security environment, SpaceX’s agility is more necessary than ever. We develop world-changing systems end-to-end, from launch vehicles to user terminals, and deploy them with unprecedented speed. Starshield brings these strengths to national security, focusing on intelligence, communications, and hosted payloads. Want to help build out the ground infrastructure that supports these critical systems?
We are looking for driven and creative engineers to design, build, and maintain our global gateway (ground station) sites.
Engineers on this team love driving projects to success and working effectively with internal and external partners and customers. We are looking for team players with exceptional communication skills and strong engineering fundamentals to tackle a wide breadth of work. The ideal candidate will have project experience in mechanical, electrical, and software engineering as well as the demonstrated ability to learn.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Own the business and engineering result of the Starshield ground infrastructure
- Design, build, and maintain highly reliable antennas, gateway sites, and fiber circuits
- Manage vendors, third party contractors, customers, and internal teams
- Create ground-related products that augment and interface with the larger Starshield constellation
- Write software to improve our hardware and infrastructure automation
- Engage cross-functionally with internal SpaceX teams including logistics, contracting, satellite operations, software, manufacturing, and RF
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, or software engineering, or another engineering discipline
- 1+ years of experience in engineering design, test, or integration role (industry internships and project teams qualify)
- 1+ years of experience in technical project management and/or systems engineering (industry internships and project teams qualify)
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Experience managing technicians, contractors, or construction projects
- Experience prototyping and testing new products
- Experience managing multidisciplinary projects
- Hands-on troubleshooting experience or root-cause analysis
- Experience with fiber optic networking and datacenter design
- Familiarity with planning and deploying ground stations
- Proficiency with Siemens NX or equivalent 3D modeling software
- Familiarity with global shipping, packaging, customs compliance, and logistics
- Familiarity with common utility AC and DC power distribution
- Basic competency coding in SQL, Matlab, Python, C++, or similar
- Business development and/or regulatory experience
- Excellent project management, communication, and organizational skills
- Self-starting and able to identify areas for improvement with minimal direction
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- An active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; if so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing
- Willing to travel at least 10% of the time, to US or international ground station sites
- Must be willing to work long hours and occasional weekends when necessary to support launch and critical project timelines
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay Range:
Gateway Engineer/Level I: $95,000.00 - $115,000.00/per year
Gateway Engineer/Level II: $110,000.00 - $130,000.00/per year
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $15,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should notify the Human Resources Department at (310) 363-6000.
Top Skills
What We Do
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary.
SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.
