Optical Transceiver Engineer – High-Speed Satellite Links

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Comprehensive benefits

401(k) plan

Paid parental leave

Shuttle service to office

Job summary

SpaceX in Redmond, WA seeks an Optical Transceiver Engineer for High Speed Links in Starlink. You will design, validate, and operate optical datacom systems, shaping high-bandwidth networks in satellite payloads.

The role spans photonics, electrical engineering, and software collaboration, with opportunities to lead system-level decisions and work across manufacturing, reliability, and test disciplines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, computer science, electrical engineering, or related STEM field.
• 1+ years hands-on lab/work experience in photonics, SERDES/optical DSP, or signal integrity design.
• 1+ years programming experience (C++, MATLAB, Python).

Responsibilities

• Apply interdisciplinary knowledge to data communication system development (design, analysis, validation).
• Represent optical data communication network in cross-disciplinary trades.
• Perform trade space analysis between optical interconnect technologies to meet throughput and uptime requirements.
• Participate in verification testing: environmental, functional, reliability, fault injection.
• Review test data and lead anomaly investigation and resolution.
• Maintain link models, design specifications, and system capabilities data.
• Interface with manufacturing and supply chain to ensure manufacturability.
• Collaborate with software/automation teams to develop tools for automated link tuning.
• Represent optical datacom systems for reliability and risk discussions with teams and vendors.

Skills

C++

Python

MATLAB

Signal processing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in physics, computer science, electrical engineering

Master’s or PhD in physics, CS, or engineering

Tools

Keysight ADS

VPI Photonics

HFSS

HFSS 3D Layout

CST

Zemax

Job description

SpaceX in Redmond, WA seeks an Optical Transceiver Engineer for High Speed Links in Starlink. You will design, validate, and operate optical datacom systems, shaping high-bandwidth networks in satellite payloads.

The role spans photonics, electrical engineering, and software collaboration, with opportunities to lead system-level decisions and work across manufacturing, reliability, and test disciplines.