Optical Transceiver Engineer, High-Speed Satellite Links

Future Ventures; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

401(k) plan

Medical coverage

Paid vacation

Shuttle to office

Job summary

SpaceX is recruiting an Optical Transceiver Engineer for high speed links in Starlink satellites. You will design, validate, and operate optical datacom systems, shaping Starlink’s high‑bandwidth networks inside payloads.

Your work spans photonics, electrical engineering, and mechanical concepts to meet stringent throughput and reliability targets. You will verify designs through environmental and functional tests, analyze data, and collaborate with manufacturing to ensure scalable production.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Apply interdisciplinary knowledge to data communication system development, including design, analysis, and validation.
• Represent optical data communication network in program-level trades and issue resolution.
• Trade space analysis between optical interconnect technologies to minimize SWaP-C while meeting throughput and uptime.
• Participate in verification testing: environmental, functional, reliability, and fault injection.
• Review test data and lead anomaly investigation and resolution.
• Maintain link models, design specs, and system capabilities data.
• Interface with manufacturing and supply chain to ensure designs can be manufactured.
• Collaborate with software and automation teams to develop tools for automated link tuning and qualification.
• Represent optical datacom systems in reliability and risk discussions with internal teams and vendors.

Skills

Data communication

Optical design

Signal integrity

Python scripting

C++

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's in physics/engineering

Master's/PhD preferred

Tools

Keysight ADS

Lumerical Interconnect

HFSS

Zemax

CST

Job description

SpaceX is recruiting an Optical Transceiver Engineer for high speed links in Starlink satellites. You will design, validate, and operate optical datacom systems, shaping Starlink’s high‑bandwidth networks inside payloads.

Your work spans photonics, electrical engineering, and mechanical concepts to meet stringent throughput and reliability targets. You will verify designs through environmental and functional tests, analyze data, and collaborate with manufacturing to ensure scalable production.