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.
RF ENGINEER, Wi-Fi HARDWARE RELIABILITY (STARLINK)
SpaceX is leveraging our experience building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world’s largest satellite constellation and most advanced broadband internet system. We provide reliable and fast internet to millions of users worldwide, including populations with little or no connectivity, rural communities, aircraft, watercraft, and places where existing services are unreliable, too expensive, or disconnected by natural disasters. We design, build, test, and operate all parts of the system, thousands of satellites and millions of consumer antennae that allow users to connect within minutes of unboxing. The Starlink team is seeking out the best-in-class professionals to maximize Starlink’s potential for communities and businesses around the globe.
As an RF Engineer on the Starlink Reliability team, you will perform telemetry and log analysis as well as hands-on debugging to drive to root cause and corrective action of failed hardware. You will build and maintain tools and custom software to assess the performance and reliability of Starlink customer hardware (dishes, routers, power supplies, etc.) and support internal betas and product launches.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Perform telemetry and log analysis as well as hands-on debugging to drive to root cause and corrective action of failed phased-array, Wi-Fi, and power supply PCBAs
- Build and maintain critical tools and custom software to objectively assess the performance and reliability of Starlink customer hardware
- Run internal betas and product launches to identify and resolve any design issues in the hardware or software of new products ahead of their public launch
- Build relationships and collaborate across disciplines including engineering, production, test, inventory, quality, supply chain, and customer experience to drive positive business outcomes
- Consistently contribute effort, leadership, and creative thinking to solving complex problems in a collaborative fashion and under tight deadlines
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, RF engineering, computer engineering, computer science, mathematics, or other STEM discipline
- 1+ years of experience working with digital or mixed-signal designs, using oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, power supplies, and/or soldering equipment (includes internships and school projects)
- Working understanding of networking technologies including but not limited to ethernet protocols and WiFi standards
- 1+ years of experience with data analysis in Python/R
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- 1+ years’ experience in consumer electronics or similar industry
- Experience troubleshooting electronics hardware
- Proficiency at understanding PCB schematics and layout tools
- Experience with engineering projects in any one or more of the following areas: CPU/FPGA/ASIC circuit boards, Linux, high-speed interfaces, memories, and/or low-power platforms
- Experience with basic principles of antenna theory, RF antennas, and communication systems
- Experience troubleshooting RF communication systems including WiFi
- Understanding of service provider and home network technologies including but not limited to:
- Connectivity (Ethernet, WiFi, WDM, IPv4, and IPv6)
- Internet services (DNS, DHCP, NTP, UPnP, NAT, etc.)
- Knowledge and troubleshooting of most common consumer devices (NAS, IoT, smart devices, etc.)
- Experience working within complex software-defined networking (SDN) and/or network function virtualization (NFV) environments
- 1+ years of experience with SQL
- Strong coding skills: clean, efficient, and well-documented code with a foundation in software design principles
- Experience in a technical operational role under the pressure of a live service or high-volume production environment (e.g., consumer goods, automotive)
- Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment that includes working with changing needs and requirements
- Self-motivated independent learner with strong multi-tasking, organizational, communication, and documentation skills
- Ability to identify customer needs, gather requirements, and execute independently
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- This position is based in Bastrop, TX (near Austin) and requires being on-site; hybrid or remote work not considered
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
- Must be willing to travel up to 10% for work
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 electrical engineering, RF engineering, computer engineering, computer science, mathematics, or other STEM discipline
- 1+ years experience with digital or mixed-signal designs using oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, power supplies, and/or soldering equipment (includes internships and school projects)
- Working understanding of networking technologies including ethernet protocols and WiFi standards
- 1+ years of experience with data analysis in Python or R
- Position based in Bastrop, TX and requires being on-site; hybrid or remote work not considered
- Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed
- Willingness to travel up to 10% for work
- ITAR requirement: must be U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, Refugee, Asylee, or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations
- 1+ years' experience in consumer electronics or similar industry
- Experience troubleshooting electronics hardware
- Proficiency reading PCB schematics and familiarity with layout tools
- Experience with CPU/FPGA/ASIC circuit boards, Linux, high-speed interfaces, memories, and/or low-power platforms
- Experience with antenna theory, RF antennas, and communication systems
- Experience troubleshooting RF communication systems including WiFi
- Understanding of service provider and home network technologies (Ethernet, WiFi, WDM, IPv4, IPv6) and internet services (DNS, DHCP, NTP, UPnP, NAT)
- Experience with SDN and/or NFV environments
- 1+ years of experience with SQL
- Strong coding skills: clean, efficient, well-documented code and software design fundamentals
- Experience in technical operational roles supporting live services or high-volume production environments
- Strong multitasking, organizational, communication, and documentation skills; self-motivated independent learner
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.
