This role pays less than
90%
of similar roles. Most pay
$137,500–$198,312
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$125k
versus about
$168k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About SpaceX
SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft with the mission of enabling humans to become a multi-planetary species. It operates the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship launch vehicles, as well as the Starlink satellite internet constellation.
SpaceX currently has
720 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$130,000–$165,000
across 511 roles with salary data.
Hardware Engineer - Electrical, Satellites (Starlink) joins the Starlink team to develop high-reliability electronics for satellites and spacecraft. This role involves ownership of the entire hardware lifecycle, including system trades, requirements capture, component selection, schematic capture, PCB layout oversight, prototyping, and hardware bring-up. The engineer will work on complex electrical designs involving high-speed digital communications, analog systems, network integration, power electronics, and RF devices to support satellite connectivity. Key technical skills include experience with mixed-signal circuit boards featuring processors, FPGAs, Ethernet, multi-GHz Serdes, DRAM interfaces, I2C, SPI, operational amplifiers, and power supply components. Candidates should be proficient in Python and C/C++. The role addresses the challenge of building advanced broadband internet systems by developing avionics for vehicle control and payload hardware including phased arrays and custom modem electronics to ensure reliable global connectivity.
Develop high-reliability electronics for satellites and spacecraft across the entire product lifecycle.
Execute system trades, requirements capture, component selection, and technical analysis for complex electrical designs.
Perform schematic capture and oversee PCB layout for advanced electronic systems.
Conduct hardware bring-up, debugging, and troubleshooting of complex circuit boards.
Manage production processes, satellite integration, and testing to ensure on-orbit performance.
Drive requirements for underlying silicon and manage manufacturing for high-performance hardware.
Integrate electrical designs with mechanical, thermal, and software systems to meet mission goals.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or physics.
1+ years of experience designing circuits, electronic products, or hardware.
Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or similar engineering degree (preferred).
2+ years of professional experience rapidly designing and delivering highly reliable products (preferred).
2+ years of experience designing mixed-signal circuit boards from concept through production using processors, FPGAs, and high-speed interfaces (preferred).
2+ years of professional experience testing, troubleshooting, and debugging electronics (preferred).
Strong understanding of computers and programming languages such as Python or C/C++ (preferred).
Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, or eligible for required export control authorizations.
Power Electronics
Analog Control
Discrete Logic Design
AC-DC Converters
Power Factor Correction
Modeling
Simulation
Spacecraft Electrical Power Systems
Solar Arrays
MPPT
Impedance Measurement
Loop-gain Measurement