PCB Designer: Starshield RF/High-Speed Boards

SpaceX Corp.; Hawthorne (CA); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a PCB Designer for Starshield to lead board layouts for in-house designs. You will collaborate with Hardware Development Engineers, selecting components, routing, and ensuring manufacturability across complex boards including RF and power converters.

You’ll use Mentor Xpedition or Altium Designer, maintain libraries, and contribute to design reviews. A TS/SCI clearance or eligibility is required, with a willingness to work extended hours as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or 3+ years of PCB layout experience in lieu of a degree.
• 1+ years of professional experience with PCB layout.
• Experience with ECAD libraries and library configuration management.
• Demonstrated understanding of design for manufacturability, assembly, and test.
• Experience with MIL-STD, IPC standards and design.
• Active TS/SCI clearance or ability to obtain.

Responsibilities

• Determine layer stackup, placement, routing, and signal integrity for PCBs (digital, analog, RF, power).
• Create and maintain libraries; produce fabrication documentation.
• Collaborate with hardware teams and vendors to refine rules and test guidelines.
• Utilize PCB design tools and mentor teammates in tool usage.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Visualize component placement

Scripting and automation

TS/SCI clearance or eligibility

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering

Tools

Mentor Xpedition

Altium Designer

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 ofenabling human life on Mars.

PCB DESIGNER (STARSHIELD)

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.

As a PCB Designer at SpaceX, you’ll be responsible for creating the layout for all our in-house board designs for Starshield. 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; or 3+ years of professional experience with PCB layout in lieu of a degree
• 1+ years of professional experience with PCB layout

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
• Active TS/SCI clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• 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
• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 1: $105,000.00 - $140,000.00
Level 2: $120,000.00 - $170,000.00

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.

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 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.

• 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] .

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