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. POWER ELECTRONICS ENGINEER (STARSHIP)
The Starship electrical hardware development 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!
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Rapidly develop high-reliability electronics for rockets and spacecraft
- Drive system trades, requirements capture, component selection, analysis, schematic capture, prototyping, bring-up, debugging, documentation, manufacturing, and test
- Design, analyze, and test DC-DC power converters and power distribution products for harsh environments
- Work on electrical power system and sub-system level design trades and develop requirements
- Work with experts from other teams and departments to drive changes that make the system more efficient, manufacturable, and reliable. Challenge assumptions and build strong professional relationships.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or similar discipline
- 5+ years of experience designing, building, or testing circuit boards or other electronics (research, internships and extracurricular academic projects qualify)
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Master’s degree in electrical engineering or related field
- Passion for spaceflight and curiosity for electronics in high-reliability applications
- Excitement for making systems smarter, better, faster, cheaper
- Experience making products or systems work with minimal time and resources
- Experience developing fundamentally new hardware, not just incrementally updating legacy hardware
- Experience with circuit board layout, especially for switching power converters or high-speed digital applications
- Experience designing switching power converters, power magnetics, analog control loops, solid state load switches, motor inverters, EMI/EMC compliance, or sensor signal conditioning circuits
- Experience with high voltage devices, lithium ion batteries, or power distribution optimization
- Previous experience working with magnetics and design of custom transformers and inductors, including planar magnetics
- Experience in modeling, simulation, and testing of power electronics
- Working experience in voltage and current mode control and compensation design
- Strong grasp of DC-DC topologies, with ability to select optimal architectures and components
- Understanding of design for fault tolerance and reliability
- Familiar with failure mode effects and criticality analysis
- Familiarity with power supply testing and packaging for harsh environments
- Experience with in-lab impedance measurement and loop-gain measurement
- Familiarity with spacecraft electrical power systems and knowledge of radiation effects
- Experience with circuit board design-for-manufacturing or productization of electronics
- Experience with automating hardware development functions (e.g. scripting to control benchtop equipment or to accelerate analysis or simulation)
- Ability to work in a fast-paced and autonomously driven environment
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission critical deadlines
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay Range:
Senior: $140,000.00 - $205,000.00
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 electrical engineering or similar discipline
- 5+ years experience designing, building, or testing circuit boards or other electronics
- Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission critical deadlines
- Applicant must be U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible to obtain required authorizations under U.S. export regulations (ITAR)
- Master's degree in electrical engineering or related field
- Experience with circuit board layout, especially for switching power converters or high-speed digital applications
- Experience designing switching power converters, power magnetics, analog control loops, solid state load switches, or motor inverters
- Experience with EMI/EMC compliance and sensor signal conditioning circuits
- Experience with high voltage devices, lithium ion batteries, or power distribution optimization
- Experience designing custom transformers and inductors, including planar magnetics
- Experience in modeling, simulation, and testing of power electronics
- Working experience in voltage and current mode control and compensation design
- Strong grasp of DC-DC topologies and component/architecture selection
- Understanding of design for fault tolerance and reliability
- Familiarity with failure mode effects and criticality analysis (FMEA/FMEDA)
- Familiarity with power supply testing and packaging for harsh environments
- Experience with in-lab impedance measurement and loop-gain measurement
- Familiarity with spacecraft electrical power systems and radiation effects
- Experience with circuit board design-for-manufacturing or productization of electronics
- Experience automating hardware development functions (scripting to control benchtop equipment or accelerate analysis/simulation)
- Ability to work in a fast-paced and autonomously driven environment
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
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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