Senior RF/Microwave Engineer, Satellites

SpaceX

Confirmed live 2 days ago Low trust

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Redmond, WA
Salary: $165,000–$225,000 / yr
Posted: 179 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live 2 days ago
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $166k

This role $195k

$124k most similar roles pay here $236k

This role pays more than 75% of similar roles. Most pay $137,500–$194,057 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $195k versus about $166k 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 680 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $130,000–$165,000 across 442 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at SpaceX

At a glance

TL;DR · Senior RF/Microwave Engineer, Satellites

Role Posting Log in to save

As a Sr. RF/Microwave Engineer, Satellites (Starlink), you will join the Satellite Payload Engineering team to develop high-performance wireless digital communication systems from antenna to protocol level. You will be responsible for the design, implementation, and verification of electrical hardware for satellites and ground communication systems, including power amplifiers, waveguide components, reflectors, and antennas. Your daily work involves simulating and modeling communication systems, assessing design feasibility, deriving top-level specifications for RF links, and characterizing system performance. The role requires expertise in 3D EM simulation tools like HFSS or CST, as well as experience with ADS, AWR, Altium Designer, Matlab, Python, and C++. You will address technical challenges in the Ku, Ka, V, and E-band frequency ranges while navigating complex requirements for high-performance satellite hardware and ground infrastructure.

Skills

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

What you'll do

Simulate and model complex communication systems.
Partition functions between hardware and software domains in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.
Assess the feasibility of various designs 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+ year of experience using 3D EM simulation tools such as CST, HFSS, FEKO, SEMCAD, EMPro, TICRA, or XFDTD.
Experience designing linear and non-linear circuits like power amplifiers, low noise amplifiers, mixers, filters, and PLLs.
Proficiency in RF/microwave design using ADS, HFSS, AWR, or similar tools.
Familiarity with radio test equipment including spectrum analyzers, vector signal analyzers, and network analyzers.
Experience with programming languages such as Python, Matlab, C++, or LabVIEW for modeling and test automation.
Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, protected refugee, or asylee to meet ITAR requirements.

Save