Senior RF/Microwave Engineer, Satellites

SpaceX

Confirmed live today High trust

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Redmond, WA
Salary: $165,000–$270,000 / yr
Posted: 2 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live today
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $175k

This role $218k

$120k $286k

below market most similar roles pay here above market

This role pays more than 86% of similar roles. Most pay $142,500–$207,500 — the blue band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $218k versus about $175k 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 873 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $130,000–$165,000 across 593 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Senior RF/Microwave Engineer, Satellites

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The Sr. RF/Microwave Engineer, Satellites (Starlink) joins the Satellite Payload Engineering team to develop RF devices for satellites and ground antennas, including power amplifiers, waveguide components, reflectors, and antennae. This role involves designing, implementing, and verifying electrical hardware for high-performance wireless digital communication systems from antenna to protocol levels. Key responsibilities include simulating and modeling communication systems, assessing design feasibility, deriving top-level specifications for RF links, and characterizing system performance. Candidates must utilize 3D EM simulation tools like CST, HFSS, or FEKO, and possess skills in ADS, AWR, Altium Designer, Matlab, Python, and C++. The work focuses on solving technical challenges in RF/microwave circuit design across Ku, Ka, V, and E-band frequencies, including linear and non-linear circuits, spread spectrum, and various modulation types.

Skills

RF/Microwave Circuit Design HFSS CST ADS AWR Python Matlab C++ LabVIEW Altium Designer PCB Design Digital Communication Systems QPSK APSK QAM Spectrum Analyzers Vector Signal Analyzers Network Analyzers EM Simulation Spread Spectrum

What you'll do

Simulate and model complex communication systems.
Design, implement, and verify electrical hardware for satellites and ground communication systems.
Partition functions between hardware and software domains with multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Assess design feasibility to support architectural definitions.
Derive top-level specifications for RF links and antenna subsystems.
Characterize and analyze overall system performance.
Provide technical support to regulatory, coordination, and market access teams.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, or another engineering discipline.
5+ years of research and/or industry experience in RF/microwave circuit design.
1+ years of experience using 3D EM simulation tools such as CST, HFSS, FEKO, SEMCAD, EMPro, TICRA, or XFDTD.
Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee eligible for Department of State authorization.
Master’s degree in electrical or computer engineering with an emphasis in RF/microwave circuits or electromagnetic theory (preferred).
Experience designing linear and non-linear circuits like power amplifiers, LNAs, mixers, filters, and PLLs (preferred).
Proficiency with radio test equipment, digital communication theory, and PCB design tools like Altium Designer (preferred).
Experience with Matlab, Python, C++, or LabVIEW for modeling and test automation (preferred).

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