Senior Optical Network Engineer

SpaceX

Confirmed live yesterday High trust

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Redmond, WA
Salary: $165,000–$270,000 / yr
Posted: 7 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live yesterday
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $162k

This role $218k

$109k most similar roles pay here $287k

This role pays more than 92% of similar roles. Most pay $137,500–$187,212 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $218k versus about $162k 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 704 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $130,000–$165,000 across 465 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at SpaceX

At a glance

TL;DR · Senior Optical Network Engineer

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Sr. Optical Network Engineer (Starlink) joins a team building a global fleet of gateway stations to serve as the internet interfacing backbone for the Starlink network. This role involves designing and developing optical connectivity solutions for ground network infrastructure, maintaining lab and production test stations for product qualification, and performing root cause analysis on operational hardware. The engineer will develop modular, reusable test and automation software in Python to verify designs while collaborating with networking teams to scale the physical layer and optimize traffic flow. Key technical requirements include expertise in DWDM transmission systems, communications theory, integrated photonics, and optical subsystem performance analysis. Candidates should possess skills in Python or MATLAB for data extraction and visualization, as well as a fundamental understanding of IP networking and traffic flow fundamentals to ensure infrastructure reliability.

Skills

DWDM Python MATLAB SQL IP Networking Test Automation Photonics Network Design

What you'll do

Design and develop optical connectivity solutions for Starlink ground network infrastructure.
Build and maintain lab and production test stations for product qualification and root cause analysis.
Develop modular, reusable test and automation software in Python for engineering design verification.
Collaborate with networking teams to scale the physical layer and optimize traffic flow.
Create tools and solutions to monitor the health and availability of optical infrastructure.
Lead continuous reliability improvement initiatives for the global fiber optic network.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, applied physics, or an engineering discipline.
5+ years of experience in designing optical experiments and developing test automation.
Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee (or eligible for such status) to meet ITAR requirements.
Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission-critical deadlines.
Fundamental understanding of DWDM transmission systems, communications theory, and/or integrated photonics or optical subsystems (preferred).
Experience in optical network design, planning, and DWDM system performance analysis (preferred).
Hands-on experience with optical device or system level test and characterization (preferred).
Experience in designing and creating test software infrastructure (preferred).

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