PCB Designer (Starmind)

SpaceX; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a PCB Designer to create layouts for in-house board designs, collaborating with Hardware Development Engineers from schematics through through fabrication. You will contribute to designs ranging from radio phased arrays to solar power converters and more.

The role emphasizes strong PCB layout skills, experience with high-density components, RF, and the ability to work with Mentor Xpedition or Altium Designer. Equal opportunity employer.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and 1+ years of PCB layout experience (or 3+ years without degree).
• Experience with PCB layout, routing and fabrication considerations.
• Familiar with RF, high-pin-density components and mixed analog/digital designs.

Responsibilities

• Determine layer stackup, component placement and routing for digital, analog, RF, and power PCB designs.
• Create and maintain PCBCAD libraries and documentation for fabrication.
• Collaborate with teams and vendors to improve design rules and test guidelines.
• Utilize design tools and mentor teammates on tool usage.

Skills

PCB layout

RF components

Mixed analog & digital design

High pin density components

Scripting & automation

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering

Tools

Mentor Xpedition

Altium Designer

ECAD libraries

Layout of high-speed buses

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.

PCB DESIGNER (STARMIND)

SpaceX is leveraging its experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and is providing fast, reliable internet to 7M+ users worldwide. We design, build, test, and operate all parts of the system – thousands of satellites, consumer receivers that allow users to connect within minutes of unboxing, and the software that brings it all together. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink’s potential global impact. As we continue to upgrade and expand the constellation, we’re looking for best‑in‑class engineers to join the team.

As a PCB Designer at SpaceX, you’ll be responsible for creating the layout for all our in‑house board designs. You’re not just connecting the dots. Here you’ll partner closely with Hardware Development Engineers as they develop their schematics, providing your expertise and recommendations at each design review, and iterating your designs to come up with the best possible solutions. You’ll contribute to a variety of design mixes from radio phased arrays to solar power converters and more.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• 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)
• Library creation and maintenance
• Create and release documentation for 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 and 1+ years of professional experience with PCB layout OR 3+ years of professional experience with PCB layout in lieu of a degree (internships and club/project work applies)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 2+years of experience with PCB layout and routing in one or all of the following areas: modern passive and active electronics components, surface‑mount, RF components, ball‑grid array and similar fine pitch, or high pin density components
• 1+ years of experience with ECAD libraries and library configuration management
• Demonstrated understanding of design for manufacturability, assembly, and test
• Experience with Mentor Xpedition and/or Altium Designer (Mentor Xpedition preferred)
• Experience with layout of mixed analog and digital designs, high speed buses, FPGA, DRAM and CPU designs, power supplies, DC‑DC converters, transmission lines, impedance‑controlled traces and power traces
• Experience with MIL‑STD, commercial and IPC standards and design
• Experience monitoring industry‑wide parts
• Ability to visualize component placement and interconnectivity
• Experience with scripting and automation
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with others

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission‑critical deadlines
• 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 Affi­ective Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [e-mail].

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Voluntary Self‑Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in SpaceX’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran’s discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.