RF Engineer (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 an RF engineer on the Starshield team, you will be working on advanced development programs in support of US National Security. You will work with a team of fellow RF engineers, DSP engineers, software engineers, hardware engineers and end users to design and build RF capabilities for proliferated communications and remote sensing in low earth orbit. You will work in a highly collaborative and fast-paced environment, where we are exploring unsolved problems and applying the SpaceX mindset of iterating rapidly to go from design and demo to operational capability at lightning pace.

• →Drive program-level decisions on RF system designs
• →Research novel solutions for unique large-scale satellite RF systems
• →Work in close collaboration with hardware, FPGA, DSP, and software engineers to design and validate RF systems
• →Responsible for development and full life cycle support of RF hardware spanning PCBA board testing and defect detection, full functional testing of an assembled unit, and resolving on-orbit vehicle anomalies
• →Create electromagnetic simulation models of hardware (antennas, filters, PCB layout) to design and evaluate performance
• →Modify electrical schematics and mechanical drawings for flight applications as they relate to reliability and manufacturability

• Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, or electrical engineering
• 1+ years of experience RF engineering:
  • Experience with modeling/analysis tools/software such as HFSS, CST, ADS, MATLAB, C/C++, and/or Python
  • Experience with RF test equipment such as VNA, spectrum analyzer, etc.

• Master’s degree in electrical engineering with emphasis in microwave/RF engineering
• 1+ years of professional experience in a relevant field
• Experience modeling RF and channel impairments such as multipath, phase noise, group delay, fading and nonlinear distortion
• Experience designing RF systems including radio astronomy, SIGINT, ELINT, radar, or wireless communications
• Experience with basic principles of antenna theory
• Experience with software-defined radios and frameworks, such as GNU Radio
• Understanding of link budgets and analysis related to communications and remote sensing systems
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret SCI clearance

• 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

• 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 [email protected].