Sr. Power Electronics Engineer (Starship)

The Starship electrical hardware development team supports the mission to revolutionize orbital flight and space travel- opening access for humankind to establish new frontiers in space and ultimately become a multi-planetary species. Our team builds some of the most advanced electronics ever flown in space- at a cost and rate previously considered unthinkable in the space industry. Become a part of this fast moving and world class hardware development team, work with super smart and motivated engineers, and achieve truly audacious goals. If you’re ready for a challenge and would like to help make our civilization multi-planetary then you’ve come to the right place!

• →Rapidly develop high-reliability electronics for rockets and spacecraft
• →Drive system trades, requirements capture, component selection, analysis, schematic capture, prototyping, bring-up, debugging, documentation, manufacturing, and test
• →Design, analyze, and test DC-DC power converters and power distribution products for harsh environments
• →Work on electrical power system and sub-system level design trades and develop requirements
• →Work with experts from other teams and departments to drive changes that make the system more efficient, manufacturable, and reliable. Challenge assumptions and build strong professional relationships.

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or similar discipline
• 5+ years of experience designing, building, or testing circuit boards or other electronics (research, internships and extracurricular academic projects qualify)

• Master’s degree in electrical engineering or related field
• Passion for spaceflight and curiosity for electronics in high-reliability applications
• Excitement for making systems smarter, better, faster, cheaper
• Experience making products or systems work with minimal time and resources
• Experience developing fundamentally new hardware, not just incrementally updating legacy hardware
• Experience with circuit board layout, especially for switching power converters or high-speed digital applications
• Experience designing switching power converters, power magnetics, analog control loops, solid state load switches, motor inverters, EMI/EMC compliance, or sensor signal conditioning circuits
• Experience with high voltage devices, lithium ion batteries, or power distribution optimization
• Previous experience working with magnetics and design of custom transformers and inductors, including planar magnetics
• Experience in modeling, simulation, and testing of power electronics
• Working experience in voltage and current mode control and compensation design
• Strong grasp of DC-DC topologies, with ability to select optimal architectures and components
• Understanding of design for fault tolerance and reliability
• Familiar with failure mode effects and criticality analysis
• Familiarity with power supply testing and packaging for harsh environments
• Experience with in-lab impedance measurement and loop-gain measurement
• Familiarity with spacecraft electrical power systems and knowledge of radiation effects
• Experience with circuit board design-for-manufacturing or productization of electronics
• Experience with automating hardware development functions (e.g. scripting to control benchtop equipment or to accelerate analysis or simulation)
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and autonomously driven environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

• 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 Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.