Senior Hardware Engineer - Ground Station & Failure Analysis

InvestedintheMission; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX, the leader in private spaceflight, seeks a Sr. Hardware Development Engineer for Starlink ground antenna electronics. You will design, test, and qualify hardware that withstands harsh environments while ensuring reliable data transfer to millions of users worldwide.

You will work at the intersection of electrical, mechanical, thermal, and software domains, applying RF principles and advanced diagnostics to deliver robust, flight-ready hardware and continuous improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related STEM field.
• 5+ years of hardware development, failure analysis, or reliability engineering.
• Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and execute environmental, RF, mechanical, and electrical test solutions for ground antenna electronics and payload.
• Perform detailed failure analysis to identify root causes and corrective actions.
• Select COTS hardware or design PCBAs to measure signals and apply flight-like loads.
• Provide hands-on support through design qualification, production ramp, and ground network rollout.
• Collaborate with mechanical, thermal, software, test engineering, supply chain, and silicon teams to deliver high-performance hardware.
• Conduct electrical bench testing of failures to replicate and inform mitigation.
• Build tools to analyze data from field and lab to drive design improvements.
• Challenge assumptions to find simple, robust solutions.

Skills

Hardware development

Failure analysis

RF principles

Python

C/C++

Electrical testing

Education

B.S. in electrical engineering

M.S. in electrical engineering (preferred)

Tools

Oscilloscope

Spectrum analyzer

Vector signal generator

Source measurement unit

Multimeter

Job description

SpaceX, the leader in private spaceflight, seeks a Sr. Hardware Development Engineer for Starlink ground antenna electronics. You will design, test, and qualify hardware that withstands harsh environments while ensuring reliable data transfer to millions of users worldwide.

You will work at the intersection of electrical, mechanical, thermal, and software domains, applying RF principles and advanced diagnostics to deliver robust, flight-ready hardware and continuous improvements.