Flight Software Engineer (Starlink Mobile)

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

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Paid parental leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

3 weeks of paid vacation

Company shuttle services

Job summary

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP seeks a Flight Software Engineer for its Starlink Mobile project in Redmond, WA. This role involves developing mission-critical software for navigating thousands of spacecraft.

The ideal candidate should hold a relevant Bachelor's degree and possess experience in C, C++, or Rust. The position offers a competitive salary ranging from $125,000 to $175,000 per year based on experience and skill level, alongside a comprehensive benefits package including medical coverage, a 401(k) plan, and paid vacation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science required.
• Experience in low-level systems programming such as C, C++, or Rust is necessary.

Responsibilities

• Develop mission critical control software for spacecraft.
• Create RF software for advanced phased arrays.
• Build network software for the largest mobile network.
• Own software development from prototyping to support.

Skills

C

C++

Rust

Network protocols

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or related fields

Job description

Flight Software Engineer (Starlink Mobile)

Redmond, WA

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.

FLIGHT SOFTWARE ENGINEER (STARLINK MOBILE)

Starlink Mobile is SpaceX's next-generation mobile network, connecting human beings all around the globe anywhere they can see the sky. We are in the early days of one of the most ambitious mega projects humanity has ever undertaken.

Flight Software is where all the disciplines at SpaceX come together. As flight software engineers, we are fully responsible for our spacecraft from cradle to fiery grave: for turning an idea, then a collection of parts, into a living, breathing spacecraft. We work closely with electrical, mechanical, RF, thermal, propulsion, and guidance and control engineers to design, build, and fly some of the most sophisticated spacecraft in the world at a scale no-one else approaches. We own the full stack from the bare metal microcontroller firmware that drives our custom silicon, to Linux kernels and drivers on our larger CPUs and FPGAs, to the realtime phased array control, network control, and vehicle control that flies our satellites.

We are a small, tight-knit team with a relentless focus on speed, simplicity, reliability, and performance. To succeed in this role you must be a technically excellent first-principles problem solver, a passionately curious self-starter with a love for solving hard problems quickly, simply, and permanently in high-impact situations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop mission critical control software to fly thousands of spacecraft in one of the harshest environments known to man.
• Develop cutting edge RF software to drive some of the most advanced phased arrays in existence.
• Develop high performance network software to turn thousands of nodes hurtling around Earth at Mach 20 into the world's largest mobile network.
• Own your work end-to-end from prototyping and design through implementation, test, deployment, and support.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or other engineering, math, or science discipline.
• Experience in C, C++, Rust, or other low-level systems programming language.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience writing bare-metal software for embedded devices.
• Experience writing Rust, C, or C++ in a production environment.
• Experience with network protocols, operating systems, and compilers.
• Experience owning software through design, development, testing, and deployment.
• Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment with rapidly changing needs and requirements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Extreme curiosity and a burning desire to push systems to the physics limit of simplicity and performance.
• 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.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Software Engineer/Level I: $125,000.00 - $145,000.00 per year.

Software Engineer/Level II: $145,000.00 - $175,000.00 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 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 in Washington State accrue paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law. Company shuttles are offered to employees for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office Monday to Friday.

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.