PCB Designer, Avionics (Falcon & Dragon)

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, vision, and dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation and holidays

Job summary

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP in Hawthorne, CA seeks a PCB Designer to work on avionics hardware development. You will create printed circuit board layouts for spacecraft, collaborating with engineers to ensure functionality and reliability. The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and experience in electronics hardware design along with PCB layout software. This position offers a competitive salary and benefits package including stock options and medical coverage.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience in electronics hardware design in academic or professional settings.
• 1+ years of experience with electrical test equipment to verify hardware functionality.
• Familiar with best layout practices for low noise design.

Responsibilities

• Review and update schematics for PCB design.
• Produce printed circuit board designs for spacecraft.
• Collaborate with teams to improve design rules and constraints.

Skills

Experience with schematic capture

Circuit design knowledge

Problem solving

Ability to work autonomously

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or computer engineering

Tools

KiCad

Altium

LTspice

Job description

Hawthorne, CA

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.

PCB DESIGNER, AVIONICS (FALCON & DRAGON)

As a PCB Designer on the Avionics Hardware Development team, you will have the unique opportunity to perform printed circuit board layouts from designed circuit schematics. While performing layout, you will be working as part of a larger interdisciplinary team. You will work directly with other electrical engineers to review and update schematics, providing your expertise and recommendations at each design review, and iterating your designs to come up with the best possible solutions. You will work with your mechanical engineer counterparts to determine fastener and EEE component placement to ensure your PCB design can survive the harsh environments experienced by a spacecraft (thermal, shock, vibe, EMI, etc).

You will be responsible for creating circuit board layouts that will control our spacecraft to ensure mission success. This is a high-impact, high-ownership position ideal for engineers who are passionate about circuit board design, thrive on technical challenges, and are hungry to have your name written on the silkscreen of circuit boards that will fly in space.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Review and update schematics for compilation requirements, and assist engineers in the capture of hierarchical designs
• Determine layer stackup, perform component package selection, component placement, routing feasibility studies, and signal routing of digital, analog, RF, and power conversion of printed circuit boards (PCB)
• Produce printed circuit board designs for the avionics team supporting launch vehicles and spacecraft
• Interface with manufacturing to produce designs that meet DFM guidelines.
• Create and maintain library
• Create and release documentation for the fabrication of PCBs
• Collaborate with internal teams and PCB vendors to continually improve design rules, constraints and design for test and manufacture guidelines
• Utilize PCB design tools, maintain and evaluate new tools, and train team members to use tools

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or computer engineering
• 1+ years of experience in electronics hardware design (academic projects, internships, and professional experience qualify)
• 1+ years of experience with electrical test equipment (e.g., multimeters, signal generators, oscilloscopes) to verify hardware functionality

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience with schematic capture and PCB layout software (KiCad, Altium, Eagle, Xpedition)
• Experience with electrical simulation software (LTspice, SIMetrix, or similar)
• Ability to design analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuits
• Knowledge of digital communications interfaces including SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet, and RS-422.
• Familiar with best layout practices for low noise design and minimization of EMI/EMC
• Demonstrate understanding of design for manufacturability, assembly, and test
• Experience with IPC Standard
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced, autonomously driven, and demanding atmosphere
• Extreme ownership managing projects from start to finish
• Self‑motivated with strong multi‑tasking, organizational, communication, and documentation skills
• Creative problem solver capable of working within a multidisciplinary team

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission‑critical deadline

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Pay range:
PCB Designer/Level I: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00/per year
PCB Designer/Level II: $115,000.00 - $135,000.00/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, stock options, 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.

• 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.

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.