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.
PCB RELIABILITY ENGINEER (STARSHIP)
The Starship team supports the mission to revolutionize orbital flight and space travel- opening access for humankind to establish new frontiers in space and ultimately become a multi-planetary species. Our team builds some of the most advanced electronics ever flown in space- at a cost and rate previously considered unthinkable in the space industry. Become a part of this fast moving and world class hardware development team, work with super smart and motivated engineers, and achieve truly audacious goals. If you’re ready for a challenge and would like to help make our civilization multi-planetary then you’ve come to the right place!
This role will be part of the team that is responsible for the design and reliability of Starship electronics. The PCB Reliability Engineer will work closely with PCB librarians, PCB designers, responsible engineers, manufacturing and supply chain teams, as well as PCB vendors, in support of our mission.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Become a member of the PCB reliability team on the Starship program, leading the effort to create high-quality PCBs for deep space travel to the Moon and Mars
- Fully own the design and development of PCB stack-ups for all Starship PCBs
- Drive introduction of new materials, working closely with design engineers and our supply chain team
- Create test plans and drive PCB reliability campaigns for volume production of PCBs
- Manage DFM as part of design releases, process documentation, and communication between engineering teams and PCB vendors
- Identify trends and opportunities for optimizing product output, quality enhancements, reliability, and cost
- Provide feedback to engineering design teams to improve design for manufacturability and reliability
- Identify, root-cause, and come up with corrective actions for reliability failures
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, or equivalent engineering
- 1+ years of professional experience in PCB design, reliability, or fabrication
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Experience working with PCB materials and PCB fabrication processes from industry
- Knowledge of IPC manufacturing standards
- Experience running failure analysis investigations and using tools like X-Ray, cross-section, and polishing
- Knowledge of statistical techniques and methods such as experiment design, process capability analysis
- Proficiency with board layout in any ECAD software
- Demonstrated cross functional project management skills and ability to collaborate with other engineering disciplines
- Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding start-up atmosphere.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Extended hours and weekend work may be required to support critical project and mission milestones
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay range:
Reliability Engineer/Level I: $100,000.00 - $115,000.00/per year
Reliability Engineer/Level II: $110,000.00 - $135,000.00/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.
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. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
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 materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, or equivalent
- 1+ years of professional experience in PCB design, reliability, or fabrication
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.
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