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 SITE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER (STARLINK)
Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and is providing fast, reliable internet to millions of users worldwide. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink’s potential global impact and are looking for best-in-class engineers to help develop the systems that enable providing service in new markets and even greater system performance and growth potential.
As an Gateway Site Development Engineer, you will engage in hardware design initiatives, travel to develop antenna infrastructure build-out plans with international partners, and own global antenna site roll-out plans that support Starlink system-level performance and growth goals. Expect broad scope, diverse engineering challenges, and a great adventure – one day you could be designing a new way to mount an antenna to a roof, and the next day traveling to a new country to develop a solution to power and connect the sites you’re responsible for activating there.
We are looking for people who excel at solving complex problems, managing large projects, are ready to learn new things, and want to work in a dynamic, fast-paced, and collaborative environment to engineer solutions with real global impact.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Design antenna sites and site hardware to support, connect, and power the antennas all over the world that backhaul the Starlink network
- Travel abroad to create infrastructure development plans with international partners to establish antenna sites that maximize the Starlink constellation effectivity and expand customer access
- Develop new processes and methods that enable rapid deployment of antennas
- Engage cross-functionally to align technical roadmaps with other contributors to Starlink, like business growth, regulatory, or network engineering teams
- Review antenna site reliability over time to develop robust solutions that ensure overall system health
- Demonstrate extreme ownership of product and business outcomes at every stage of conceptualization and implementation
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science discipline
- 1+ years of professional experience in an engineering role
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience with electrical, mechanical, or structural design and analysis
- Experience with build, production, or integration of components into an assembly, structure, vehicle, or site
- Demonstrated success in multidisciplinary project execution
- Experience with any of the following is a bonus:
- Producing construction drawings or plans
- SQL, Matlab, Python, C++, or similar
- Producing dashboards or analytical and statistical models (Ex: Tableau, PowerBI)
- Physical network infrastructure design or planning
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Willingness to travel to domestic and 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:
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.
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. Company shuttles are offered to employees for round trip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office Monday to Friday.
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 reach out to [email protected].
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or science discipline
- 1+ years of professional experience in an engineering role
- Willingness to travel to domestic and international ground station sites
- Must be willing to work long hours and occasional weekends when necessary
- Meet ITAR eligibility: U.S. citizen/national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible for required State Department authorizations
- Experience with electrical, mechanical, or structural design and analysis
- Experience with build, production, or integration of components into assemblies, structures, vehicles, or sites
- Demonstrated success in multidisciplinary project execution
- Producing construction drawings or plans
- Experience with SQL, Matlab, Python, C++, or similar
- Producing dashboards or analytical and statistical models (Tableau, PowerBI)
- Physical network infrastructure design or planning
SpaceX Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about SpaceX and has not been reviewed or approved by SpaceX.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants are a core part of total compensation, with periodic company-run tender offers that create liquidity before any public listing. These mechanisms can make the equity component feel materially valuable in practice.
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Healthcare Strength — The package includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with on-site clinics and health resources at major sites. This breadth of coverage is presented as a strong element of the offering.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Major locations feature on-site amenities such as fitness facilities, food/coffee, clinics, and other conveniences. These lifestyle perks enhance day-to-day value alongside cash and equity.
SpaceX Insights
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.
