Electrical Design Engineer (Falcon & Dragon Avionics)
Design and troubleshoot avionics hardware for SpaceX rockets, from schematics to flight-ready PCBs, using tools like KiCad and Altium.
- Compensation
- $105K–$170K / yr
- Location
- Hawthorne, CA
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 1+ years
- Category
- Engineering design
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or computer engineering
- 1+ years of experience in electronics hardware design (academic projects, internships, and professional experience all qualify)
- 1+ years of experience with electrical test equipment (e.g., multimeters, signal generators, oscilloscopes) to verify hardware functionality
Nice to have
- Ability to design analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuits
- Experience with schematic capture and PCB layout software (KiCad, Altium, Eagle)
- Experience with electrical simulation software (LTspice, SIMetrix, or similar)
- Design for excellence (DFX), root cause, derating, and related analyses
- Knowledge of digital communications interfaces including SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet, and RS422
- Knowledge of common circuit blocks including filters, power supplies, and microcontrollers.
- Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding atmosphere
- Familiarity managing projects from start to finish
- Self-motivated with strong multi-tasking, organizational, communication, and documentation skills
- Creative problem solver capable of working within a multidisciplinary team
Full description
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.
ELECTRICAL DESIGN ENGINEER (FALCON & DRAGON AVIONICS)
As an Electrical Engineer on the Falcon & Dragon Avionics Hardware Development team, you will have the unique opportunity to explore all areas of a product’s life cycle from development through production and launch by engaging in multiple disciplines with a focus on electronic design, reliability, and manufacturing. In addition to designing new hardware from scratch, you will be expected to analyze and troubleshoot electronic assemblies, define new processes, design circuits/fixtures/tools, and identify opportunities for improvement in both products and processes. You will have the opportunity to own a wide variety of components that enable SpaceX vehicles to provide the safest and most reliable access to space. Our fundamental goal is to allow humanity to explore the stars; with it comes an extreme responsibility to ensure the safety of the crew and payload.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Design new hardware, redesign existing hardware, and perform modifications to PCBAs to improve their reliability and manufacturability or expand vehicle capabilities
- Provide extreme ownership of avionics hardware for flight across all areas of the product life cycle
- Drive changes to electrical schematics and mechanical drawings that improve reliability and manufacturability
- Perform root cause investigations to characterize off-nominal unit behavior and mitigate risk
- Derive engineering justification to resolve production issues throughout assembly, test, and vehicle integration
- Design test setups and execute hardware validation through benchtop and environmental testing
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or computer engineering
- 1+ years of experience in electronics hardware design (academic projects, internships, and professional experience all qualify)
- 1+ years of experience with electrical test equipment (e.g., multimeters, signal generators, oscilloscopes) to verify hardware functionality
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Ability to design analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuits
- Experience with schematic capture and PCB layout software (KiCad, Altium, Eagle)
- Experience with electrical simulation software (LTspice, SIMetrix, or similar)
- Design for excellence (DFX), root cause, derating, and related analyses