Antenna Engineer (Starship)

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

3 weeks of paid vacation

10+ paid holidays per year

Job summary

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP seeks an Antenna Engineer for RF engineering on Starship vehicles. Responsibilities include designing antennas, building prototypes, and supporting communications systems. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline and at least 1 year of experience in RF systems. Compensation ranges from $125,000 to $175,000 per year, with extensive benefits including medical coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, and paid vacation. Strong analytical skills and collaboration with engineering teams are required.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of relevant professional experience with antennas or RF systems.
• Experience with test equipment such as signal generator and RF passive components.
• Proficiency with impedance matching, RF filter design, and microwave network analysis.

Responsibilities

• Design and build antennas for various frequency bands.
• Conduct analysis of wireless systems for performance improvements.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams for system integration.

Skills

Antenna design for communications and sensors

3D electromagnetic simulation tools

RF concepts

Python programming

Education

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline

Master’s degree in electrical engineering

Tools

Spectrum analyzer

Network analyzer

HFSS

Altium

Job description

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.

ANTENNA ENGINEER (STARSHIP)

This team is responsible for RF engineering for the Starship vehicles. This includes both hardware product development (of radios/antennas), as well as ownership of the comm system architecture, analysis, and verification. Hardware development involves managing the development of your product, from design concept through prototyping, qualification testing, and moving into stable production. Systems roles involve extreme ownership of a system from design concept, through integration and test, and even support analysis or on-console for flight. Work may vary in frequency band from UHF (400 MHz) through Ka‑band (40 GHz). We also do work outside of communications, including GPS and radar for sensing. We support both the orbital Starship vehicle (current development that can be observed in Starbase) as well as the HLS lunar missions for NASA Artemis. We own communications from the baseband (FPGA + modem) through the passband (RF + antenna), and we work closely with mechanical, production, and integration teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design of antennas for communications and sensors, in VHF through Ka‑band
• Build and characterization of antenna, feed, and front‑end prototypes
• Development of measurement systems to support design
• Analysis of wireless systems (antenna isolation, patterns with large structures, propagation effects, etc.)
• Multidisciplinary collaboration to improve RF manufacturing, mechanical integration, and testability

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
• 1+ years of relevant professional or project experience with antennas or RF systems
• 1+ years of experience with 3D electromagnetic simulation tools

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in an engineering discipline with emphasis in electromagnetic theory and/or microwave circuits
• Master’s degree in electrical engineering (electromagnetic or circuits)
• Experience with test equipment such as spectrum analyzer, signal generator, network analyzer, power meters, and RF passive components
• Proficiency with basic RF concepts such as impedance matching, linear and aperture antennas, smith chart, power handling metrics (IIP2, IMD), microwave network analysis, RF filter design
• Experience with near‑field or far‑field chamber design and operation
• Experience with electrical schematic capture software (Altium, Orcad or similar)
• Experience with electromagnetics simulation tools such as HFSS, CST, Savant, or similar – including tradeoffs of FEM, MoM, FDTD, and PO methods
• Familiar with one of the mainstream RF circuit simulation tools: AWR, ADS, Genesys
• Experience with Python, MATLAB, or C/C++ programming for data analysis or test equipment interfacing
• Basic CAD skills for prototype designs and working directly with mechanical engineers
• Excellent communication and documentation skills, and ability to collaborate with other engineering disciplines

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Pay range:
Level I: $125,000 – $145,000 per year
Level II: $145,000 – $175,000 per year
Actual level and base salary will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on job‑related knowledge, skills, education, and experience. Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.
Base salary is one part of the total rewards package. Additional incentives may include company stock or long‑term cash awards, discretionary bonuses, and participation in an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Benefits include comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage; a 401(k) retirement plan; short‑ and long‑term disability insurance; life insurance; paid parental leave; discounts and perks; 3 weeks of paid vacation; 10 + paid holidays per year; and paid sick leave in accordance with company policy.

ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION COMPLIANCE

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (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 required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

EEO STATEMENT

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. If you require reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process, please reach out to [e-mail].