Lead Avionics Integration & Test Engineer (Starshield)

InvestedintheMission; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

401(k) plan

Medical, vision, and dental coverage

Job summary

SpaceX seeks an experienced Lead Avionics Integration & Test Engineer for Starshield Production in Hawthorne. You will lead cross-disciplinary teams to design, develop, and validate hardware test systems for satellites, pushing rapid design iteration while ensuring reliability and scalability.

Responsibilities include standardized testing processes, autonomous test systems, and collaboration with design and manufacturing teams to validate flight hardware.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, physics or another engineering discipline.
• 2+ years of professional experience in testing or hardware development.
• 1+ years of leadership experience leading teams, projects or people.
• 5+ years of professional design and/or hands-on manufacturing experience.
• 3+ years of prior leadership experience leading teams, projects or people.
• Master's degree in engineering or related discipline.
• Experience leading a team of diverse individuals.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills both written and verbal.
• Thorough knowledge of electrical systems.
• Thorough knowledge of computer architecture and networks.
• Creative approach to problem solving, exceptional analytical skills and engineering fundamentals.
• Experience developing, debugging, and deploying electrical test systems that have been used in real-world applications/projects.
• Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment with changing needs and requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong technical leadership with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Manage projects and delegate responsibilities effectively to complete work on time.
• Determine team goals to effectively implement testing solutions.
• Develop and enforce processes to standardize test system deliverable expectations.
• Develop highly reliable autonomous test systems.
• Own all aspects of test development, including requirements evaluation, system development, subsystem testing, and factory integration.
• Collaborate with teams, lead projects, and continuously drive improvement in hardware testing.
• Create modular, reusable software in Python to automate manufacturing processes and tests.
• Collaborate directly with the design and manufacturing engineers to validate flight hardware.
• Actively maintain tests that support rapid design iteration of flight hardware and software.
• Develop test infrastructure that enables scaling to large numbers of devices under test.

Skills

Leadership

Python

Electrical systems

Computer architecture

Analytical skills

Communication

Problem solving

Team management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

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.

LEAD AVIONICS INTEGRATION & TEST ENGINEER (STARSHIELD PRODUCTION)

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.

In this role, you will lead a portion of the team responsible for designing, developing, troubleshooting, and maintaining the hardware test systems used to develop, produce and qualify our satellites. As the lead, you would cultivate your direct reports to develop electrical, RF, and software solutions that quickly and thoroughly validate each component of satellite hardware. Our engineers thrive in this multidisciplinary environment with ever-changing needs as we strive to make a significant contribution to the capabilities of our nation for the decades to come.

Our development timelines are quick, and you and your team will need to rigorously explore solutions for previously unsolved or unknown problems. Every day we push the limits of what is possible through innovation, determination, and teamwork to drive the mission to success.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide strong technical leadership with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Manage projects and delegate responsibilities effectively to complete work on time.
• Determine team goals to effectively implement testing solutions.
• Develop and enforce processes to standardize test system deliverable expectations.
• Develop highly reliable autonomous test systems.
• Own all aspects of test development, including requirements evaluation, system development, subsystem testing, and factory integration.
• Collaborate with teams, lead projects, and continuously drive improvement in hardware testing.
• Create modular, reusable software in Python to automate manufacturing processes and tests.
• Collaborate directly with the design and manufacturing engineers to validate flight hardware.
• Actively maintain tests that support rapid design iteration of flight hardware and software.
• Develop test infrastructure that enables scaling to large numbers of devices under test.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, physics or another engineering discipline.
• 2+ years of professional experience in testing or hardware development.
• 1+ years of leadership experience leading teams, projects or people.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 5+ years of professional design and/or hands-on manufacturing experience.
• 3+ years of prior leadership experience leading teams, projects or people.
• Master's degree in engineering or related discipline.
• Experience leading a team of diverse individuals.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills both written and verbal.
• Thorough knowledge of electrical systems.
• Thorough knowledge of computer architecture and networks.
• Creative approach to problem solving, exceptional analytical skills and engineering fundamentals.
• Experience developing, debugging, and deploying electrical test systems that have been used in real-world applications/projects.
• Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment with changing needs and requirements.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be available to work extended hours as needed to support mission-critical objectives.
• An active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; if so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
$140,000.00 - $230,000.00

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.

• 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 accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
• Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.

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 [e-mail].