below marketmost similar roles pay hereabove market
This role pays more than
97%
of similar roles. Most pay
$141,250–$197,500
— the blue band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$278k
versus about
$169k
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
851 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$130,000–$165,000
across 590 roles with salary data.
The Principal Software Engineer, Power Optimization (Starlink) joins the Power Optimization team to develop high-performance, safety-critical software for over 10,000 satellites in low Earth orbit. The role involves writing reliable ground and vehicle software to manage billions of daily operational decisions, ensuring satellites fly safely while maximizing network value. Key responsibilities include building first-principles physics models of satellite power and thermal behavior, developing constellation optimization algorithms, and designing future satellite constellations through simulations. The candidate must possess proficiency in C/C++ or Rust and demonstrate expertise in systems programming, software performance, and memory optimization. The work requires solving complex optimization problems involving energy and thermal constraints, utilizing strong math and physics knowledge to push systems to their objective physical limits within a commercial space industry context.
What does a Software Engineer earn in Washington?
Median $202800 from 409 postings across 38 companies.
Write highly reliable ground and vehicle software to control thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit.
Develop constellation optimization algorithms based on satellite operational requirements and physical constraints.
Build first-principles physics models of satellite power and thermal behavior.
Optimize payload utilization subject to specific energy and thermal constraints.
Design future satellite constellations by defining requirements and building simulations for hardware and software trades.
Own the complete software lifecycle including development, testing, verification, rollout, and monitoring.
Participate in code reviews to maintain high standards for code quality.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, math, or STEM discipline and 8+ years of professional experience in software development or solving optimization problems.
10+ years of professional experience in software development or solving optimization problems in lieu of a degree.
Proficiency in C/C++ or another systems programming language like Rust.
Experience with production software environments where reliability and correctness guarantees are essential (preferred).
Deep understanding of software performance, including experience with profilers, vectorization/SIMD, runtime, and memory optimization (preferred).
Understanding of version control, testing, continuous integration, builds, deployment, and monitoring (preferred).
Strong math and physics knowledge (preferred).
Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible for required U.S. Department of State authorizations.
C
C++
Assembly
Distributed Systems
Network Topology
Numerical Optimization
Convex Optimization
Physics Simulation
Game Engine Development
Hardware-in-the-loop
C
C++
Assembly
Distributed Systems
Network Topology
Numerical Optimization
Convex Optimization
Physics Simulation
Game Engine Development
Hardware-in-the-loop
C
C++
Assembly
Distributed Systems
Network Topology
Numerical Optimization
Convex Optimization
Physics Simulation
Game Engine Development
Hardware-in-the-loop
Power Electronics
Analog Control
Discrete Logic Design
AC-DC Converters
Power Factor Correction
Impedance Measurement
Loop-Gain Measurement
Lithium-ion Battery
Solar Arrays
MPPT
Spacecraft Electrical Power Systems
Radiation Effects