S

SpaceX

Builds rockets and runs Starlink satellite internet

High-Speed Electro-Optical IC Engineer - RFIC Engineering

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$125k - $200k
Mid
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
Palo Alto, CA, USA+1 moreMore locations: Redmond, WA, USA
In PersonThe role can be based in Palo Alto, CA or Redmond, WA.
Hardware EngineeringSilicon & ASIC Design
No H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science is required.
  • At least 2 years of photonics or electro-optical integrated circuit design experience is required.
  • A master's degree or PhD in physics, electrical engineering, or computer engineering with an emphasis in electro-optics integrated circuit design is preferred.
  • Experience using simulation tools such as Spectre, ADS, HFSS or Momentum, Ansys Lumerical, and COMSOL is preferred.
  • Understanding of silicon photonics designs and familiarity with optical building blocks such as MZM and Microring modulators, Ge photodiodes, dWDM filters, waveguides, couplers, dividers, and polarization management circuitry is preferred.
  • Electrical circuit design skills for mmWave or broadband analog, and experience analyzing and simulating linear and non-linear circuits such as high bandwidth modulator drivers, TIAs, CTLEs, filters, low-noise amplifiers, and power amplifiers are preferred.
  • Knowledge of advanced packaging technology for high-speed data links is preferred.
  • Experience working on wideband circuit designs supporting high-speed SerDes links with more than 80 Gbps data rates and bandwidths exceeding tens of GHz is preferred.
  • Familiarity with high-speed SerDes architecture, modulation schemes such as NRZ and PAM4, and link protocols is preferred.
  • Familiarity with optical and radio-related test equipment such as spectrum analyzers, vector signal analyzers, vector signal generators, high-speed oscilloscopes, and BERTs is preferred.
  • Experience characterizing EIC/PIC performance for high-speed optical SerDes is preferred.
  • Fluency in programming with either C/C++ or Python is preferred.
  • Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support critical milestones is required.
Responsibilities
  • Design, analyze, and simulate drivers for MZM and laser diodes.
  • Design, analyze, and simulate TIAs and derive models for photodetectors (Ge photodiodes).
  • Derive specifications for the entire electro-optical system and its circuits.
  • Design and model packages for electro-optical components and systems.
  • Develop analog, mixed-signal, RF, and microwave circuits in SiGe, FDSOI, or silicon bulk CMOS processes.
  • Work with system architects, DSP/ASIC designers, and PIC designers to partition functions between hardware, software, and optical domains.
  • Perform IC floor planning and layout.
  • Simulate and model packages and external discrete components.
  • Evaluate, characterize, and measure electrical and optical building blocks of a high-speed optical link solution.
  • Assist in developing automated test setups and test programs for production and lab measurements.
  • Work with manufacturing engineers on production testing and qualification of EIC/PIC components and systems.

About the company

SpaceX builds and launches reusable rockets and spacecraft for NASA, the military, and companies, and it runs Starlink, a satellite internet service for homes and businesses. In 2020, its Dragon capsule became the first privately built spacecraft to carry astronauts to the International Space Station. Its Falcon 9 rocket lands its first stage so the booster can fly again, which cuts launch costs, while Starlink beams internet from low-orbit satellites to small dishes for a monthly fee. SpaceX also owns xAI, maker of the Grok chatbot and owner of the social network X, and is building Starship, a fully reusable rocket meant to carry people to the Moon and Mars. Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002, and it is based in Starbase, Texas.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Starbase, Texas

Founded

2002

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Starlink demand keeps compounding: subscribers doubled to 12 million in the year to June 2026.
  • Room to grow: SpaceX listed 2,693 open roles in October 2026, over a third of them for Starlink.
  • Rivals rent its AI supercomputers: Claude maker Anthropic agreed in May 2026 to pay SpaceX $1.25 billion a month.

What critics are saying

  • Stock grants swing hard: shares closed between $108 and $211 in the four months after the June 2026 IPO.
  • Expect long weeks: 1,724 of SpaceX's 2,693 job posts in October 2026 mention extended hours and weekend work.
  • AI spending outruns sales: SpaceX put $15.8 billion into AI data centers in the June 2026 quarter, double its revenue.

What makes SpaceX unique

  • SpaceX is the world's busiest launcher by far: its 165 orbital launches in 2025 were nearly double China's total.
  • Starlink carries the profits: it earned $1.7 billion in the June 2026 quarter, while rockets and AI lost $1.8 billion.
  • Elon Musk has the final say: super-voting shares give him about 82% of shareholder votes after the June 2026 IPO.

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Benefits

  • Benefits and Perks - Our employees' well-being is important to us and essential to our capacity to do extraordinary things. We offer a wide variety of programs to support the health, wellness, and financial security of our employees and their families.

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

0%
Yahoo Finance
Oct 21st, 2026
Ives backs SpaceX over Netflix: $225 target on $14.6B AI-fuelled quarter

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives prefers SpaceX over Netflix after both reported earnings this week. He rates SpaceX Outperform with a $225 price target, about 52% above Tuesday's close, and Netflix In Line with a $75 target. SpaceX shares surged after third-quarter revenue rose 161% year over year to $14.6 billion, above the roughly $13 billion Wall Street expected. Adjusted earnings were $0.35 per share against expectations of $0.16. Its Super Intelligence business brought in $7.6 billion, up 830%, and is now its largest unit. Capital spending is the main worry, at $19.6 billion for the quarter, including $16.4 billion for AI infrastructure. Netflix shares fell after fourth-quarter earnings guidance came in below consensus. It also cut its full-year advertising revenue forecast to $2.7 billion from $3 billion.

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Tesla beats Q3 estimates with $28.05B revenue as Musk floats SpaceX merger

Tesla beat Wall Street's third-quarter estimates on Wednesday, and its shares rose about 1% to $390.61 in extended trading after gaining 3.4% in the regular session. Adjusted earnings were 48 cents a share, against 43 cents expected by analysts, according to LSEG. Revenue was $28.05 billion, roughly flat from a year ago and above the $27.9 billion estimate. Automotive revenue fell 3% to $20.56 billion, and energy revenue dropped 16% to $2.88 billion. Services and other revenue rose 33% to $4.61 billion. Net income fell 29% to $787 million as Tesla spends heavily on AI and robotics. Capex more than doubled to $3.73 billion, and free cash flow fell 62% to $1.53 billion. Deliveries fell about 2% to 486,532. A day earlier, Elon Musk said on SpaceX's earnings call that combining the two companies would be a good idea. He said both boards have formed special committees to study a deal.

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Oct 21st, 2026
Tesla revenue flat at $28B as capex hits $4.7B, well below forecasts

Tesla's third-quarter revenue slipped less than 1% to $28 billion, missing expectations of $28.2 billion. Net income fell 43% to $787 million, short of the $925 million analysts expected. Capital spending reached $4.7 billion, more than double the level a year earlier but well below expectations of $7.8 billion. Shares rose 1.7% in after-hours trading. Tesla said it has begun initial production of its Optimus humanoid robot, and it recently launched robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. It also began producing the Tesla Semi. The company reported its largest backlog of vehicle orders in four years, largely due to limited battery supply. Chief executive officer Elon Musk said on SpaceX's earnings call that Tesla and SpaceX have formed special committees to consider a merger. He said he is not allowed to take part in the talks but thinks it is "a good idea.

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Oct 21st, 2026
SpaceX jumps 8% on $14.58B quarterly revenue as stocks climb again

US stocks rose again on Wednesday as companies kept posting solid quarterly results and traders looked past geopolitical tensions. The S&P 500 gained 0.58%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.69%, and the Nasdaq Composite 1.05%. SpaceX climbed almost 8% after reporting third-quarter revenue of $14.58 billion, above analysts' forecast of $12.72 billion. Net income reached $4.4 billion, against expectations of $1.57 billion, reversing a $541 million loss in the second quarter. Its Super Intelligence division generated about $7.6 billion in revenue, more than half of total sales, according to the Financial Times. Meanwhile, the US is reportedly preparing departure orders for some personnel in Gulf embassies amid rising tensions with Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels, Reuters said.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 21st, 2026
SpaceX shares jump 10% as Q3 revenue hits $14.6B and AI unit overtakes Starlink

SpaceX reported third-quarter revenue of $14.6 billion, up 161% year over year, in its second earnings report since going public. Net income was $4.4 billion, against a $1.1 billion loss a year earlier. The stock rose about 10% afterwards. Its super intelligence division, which focuses on artificial intelligence (AI), brought in $7.6 billion, more than half of total sales. The unit made $431 million in operating income, compared with a $1.7 billion operating loss a year earlier. Cursor, an AI coding platform acquired in August, added $608 million. Starlink revenue grew 69% to $5.2 billion, with operating income of $2.4 billion. It ended September with 13.6 million consumer subscribers. Capital expenditure reached $19.6 billion, mostly for AI infrastructure.