Senior 3GPP RAN Standards Engineer

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term incentives

Medical, vision & dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Paid parental leave

Paid vacation and holidays

Job summary

SpaceX in Palo Alto is seeking a Sr. 3GPP RAN Standardization Engineer (Starlink Mobile) to shape 5G/6G standards and NTN integration, serving as the technical expert in 3GPP RAN working groups and aligning internal teams with external standards bodies.

You will present contributions, build relationships with operators and vendors, and drive architectural decisions across Release planning and regulatory alignment, enabling Starlink Mobile’s product roadmap.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience with cellular RAN design and/or system architecture.
• 4+ years of experience working with/on 3GPP standardization.

Responsibilities

• Act as the company’s subject matter expert in the 3GPP RAN2 and RAN3 Working Groups.
• Present, negotiate, and defend company contributions to ensure alignment of emerging standards with product and regulatory goals.
• Build and maintain relationships with other 3GPP members, operators, chipset vendors, and regulatory bodies.
• Draft, review, and submit technical contributions on topics such as 5G/6G NR, 5G/6G NTN, RAN architecture, spectrum bands, and performance evaluation.
• Provide detailed technical analysis on topics relevant to the Working Group discussion, such as mobility features and signaling.
• Participate in internal design reviews to translate 3GPP outcomes into actionable engineering requirements.
• Track standardization timelines and Release planning (Release 20, 21, and beyond).
• Summarize and communicate 3GPP meeting outcomes to internal stakeholders through concise reports and recommendations.
• Identify emerging standardization opportunities, risks, and competitive moves.
• Partner with system engineering, RF design, regulatory, and product teams to align internal roadmaps with 3GPP evolution.
• Support business and partnership discussions with standards‑based technical insights.

Skills

RAN design

3GPP standardization

Education

PhD in Electrical Engineering

Job description

SpaceX in Palo Alto is seeking a Sr. 3GPP RAN Standardization Engineer (Starlink Mobile) to shape 5G/6G standards and NTN integration, serving as the technical expert in 3GPP RAN working groups and aligning internal teams with external standards bodies.

You will present contributions, build relationships with operators and vendors, and drive architectural decisions across Release planning and regulatory alignment, enabling Starlink Mobile’s product roadmap.