SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

FPGA ENGINEER, DSP (STARSHIELD)

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.

As an FPGA engineer on the satellite digital design team, you will be designing, developing, and testing FPGAs that supports safety critical logic, sensors, optical and communications systems for SpaceX’s satellite constellation. You will engage with other SpaceX engineers to discover the needs of the missions and code highly reliable software which turns the mission into reality. You will be responsible for the complete lifecycle of the software you create, including development, testing, and support.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own the conceptual, architectural, and design components of digital, signal processing, and communication systems supporting various SpaceX satellite spacecraft
• Implement logic designs and signals processing algorithms in RTL
• Integrate designs onto FPGA/SoC platforms
• Bring up and validate devices that communicate to and fly in space

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science; or 2+ years of professional FPGA experience in lieu of a degree
• Experience working with FPGAs or ASICs
• Experience using Verilog, SystemVerilog, or VHDL

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience working with complex digital designs
• Experience in different stages of silicon development: RTL design, verification, synthesis, timing analysis, lab bring up/validation
• Experience integrating logic onto SoC platforms and designing high-throughput PS/PL interfaces
• Solid understanding of DSP fundamentals
• Experience interfacing with high-rate conversion interfaces (Xilinx RFSoC, AD9361)
• Experience designing and modeling DSP blocks and algorithms (filters, modems, etc.)
• Software development skills (C/C++)
• Scripting skills (bash, Perl, Python)
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment with changing needs, requirements, and challenges

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends when needed to meet critical deadlines

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: 

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation & will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.  

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should notify the Human Resources Department at (310) 363-6000.