PCB Designer (Starshield)

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. PCB DESIGNER (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 a PCB Designer at SpaceX, you’ll be responsible for creating the layout for all our in-house board designs for Starshield. You’re not just connecting the dots. Here you’ll partner closely with Hardware Development Engineers as they develop their schematics, providing your expertise and recommendations at each design review, and iterating your designs to come up with the best possible solutions. You’ll contribute to a variety of design mixes from radio phased arrays to solar power converters and more. RESPONSIBILITIES: Determine layer stackup, perform component package selection, component placement, routing feasibility studies, and signal routing of digital, analog, RF, and power conversion of printed circuit boards (PCB) Library creation and maintenance Create and release documentation for fabrication of PCBs Collaborate with internal teams and PCB vendors to continually improve design rules, constraints and design for test and manufacture guidelines Utilize PCB design tools, maintain and evaluate new tools, and train team members to use tools BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering; or 3+ years of professional experience with PCB layout in lieu of a degree 1+ years of professional experience with PCB layout PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 2+ years of experience with PCB layout and routing in one or all of the following areas: modern passive and active electronics components, surface-mount, RF components, ball-grid array and similar fine pitch, or high pin density components 1+ years of experience with ECAD libraries and library configuration management Demonstrated understanding of design for manufacturability, assembly, and test Experience with Mentor Xpedition and/or Altium Designer (Mentor Xpedition preferred) Experience with layout of mixed analog and digital designs, high speed buses, FPGA, DRAM and CPU designs, power supplies, DC-DC converters, transmission lines, impedance-controlled traces and power traces Experience with MIL-STD, commercial and IPC standards and design Experience monitoring industry-wide parts Ability to visualize component placement and interconnectivity Experience with scripting and automation Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with others Active TS/SCI clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Able to work extended hours and weekends as needed to support critical path development and/or critical on-orbit operations An active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; if so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol test COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Pay range: PCB Designer /Level I: $105,000.00 - $122,500.00/per year PCB Designer /Level II: $120,000.00 - $150,000.00/per year 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. Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program. 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