Sr. Antenna Engineer (Starship)

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 ofenabling human life on Mars.

SR. ANTENNA ENGINEER (STARSHIP)

This team is responsible for RF engineering for the Starship vehicles. This includes both hardware product development (of radios/antennas) as well as ownership of the comm system architecture analysis and verification. Hardware development involves managing the development of your product from design concept through prototyping qualification testing and moving into stable production. Systems roles involve extreme ownership of a system from design concept through integration and test and even support analysis or on-console for flight. Work may vary in frequency band from UHF (400 MHz) through Ka-band (40 GHz). We also do work outside of communications including GPS and radar for sensing. We support both the orbital starship vehicle (current development that can be observed in Starbase) as well as the HLS lunar missions for NASA Artemis. We own communications from the baseband (FPGA modem) through the passband (RF antenna) and we work closely with mechanical production and integration teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design of antennas for communications and sensors in VHF through Ka-band
• Build and characterization of antenna feed and front-end prototypes
• Development of measurement systems to support design
• Analysis of wireless systems (antenna isolation patterns with large structures propagation effects etc.)
• Multidisciplinary collaboration to improve RF manufacturing mechanical integration and testability
• Provide antenna expertise and RF radiation expertise (plasma attenuation shielding etc) to various aspects of the spacecraft

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors degree in an engineering discipline
• 5 years of relevant professional or project experience in antenna design/build/test and electromagnetic simulations

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Masters degree or PhD in electrical engineering with research/thesis work on RF or antennas
• Experience with test equipment such as spectrum analyzer signal generator network analyzer power meters and RF passive components
• Proficiency with basic RF concepts such as impedance matching linear and aperture antennas smith chart power handling metrics (IIP2 IMD) microwave network analysis RF filter design
• Experience with near-field or far-field chamber design and operation
• Familiar with antenna measurement techniques and tools such as anechoic/reverb chambers near field EM measurements
• Experience with electrical schematic capture software (Altium Orcad or similar)
• Familiar with RF circuit simulation tools for cascade analysis: AWR ADS Genesys
• Experience with electromagnetics simulation tools such as HFSS CST Savant or similar including tradeoffs of FEM MoM FDTD and PO methods
• Experience with Python MATLAB or C/C programming for data analysis or test equipment interfacing
• Basic CAD skills for prototype designs and working directly with mechanical engineers
• Experience with variety of antenna types - including reflectors or phased array design
• Excellent communication and documentation skills and ability to collaborate with other engineering disciplines

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range:
Antenna Engineer/Senior: $ 160000.00 - $225000.00/per year

Your actual level and base salary will bedeterminedon 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 anadditional$20000 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 or long-term cash awards as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability topurchaseadditionalstock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical vision and dental coverage access to a401(k) retirementplan short and long-term disability insurance life insurance paid parental leave and various other discounts andperks. You may alsoaccrue3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employeesaccruepaid sick leavepursuant toCompany policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual carryover and use requirements of the law.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (aka green card holder) (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158 or be 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 SpaceXs Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to.