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 (STARSHIP ELECTRONICS)
The Starship team supports the mission to revolutionize orbital flight and space travel- opening access for humankind to establish new frontiers in space and ultimately become a multi-planetary species. Our team builds some of the most advanced electronics ever flown in space- at a cost and rate previously considered unthinkable in the space industry. Become a part of this fast moving and world class hardware development team, work with super smart and motivated engineers, and achieve truly audacious goals. If you’re ready for a challenge and would like to help make our civilization multi-planetary then you’ve come to the right place!
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Deliver highly reliable firmware and gateware for SpaceX-designed hardware
- Design and implement signal processing algorithms relating to communications and sensing systems
- Work in close collaboration with avionics and software engineers to create and validate FPGA designs and contribute to hardware design trades
- Own the end-to-end results of your products, from requirements gathering through production and flight, including verification and documentation
- Follow the SpaceX flight software development process and write great firmware for spaceflight
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, math or other engineering discipline; OR 2+ years of professional software development experience in lieu of a degree
- Experience using Verilog, SystemVerilog, or VHDL
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Experience working with complex digital designs
- Experience in different stages of FPGA development: RTL design, verification, synthesis, timing analysis, lab bring up/validation
- Experience integrating logic onto SoC platforms and designing high-throughput PS/PL interfaces
- Experience developing firmware for Xilinx FPGA platforms using the Xilinx toolchain
- Experience developing and testing high reliability, safety critical, and fault tolerant systems
- Hardware debug experience, including familiarity with tools such as the oscilloscope, logic analyzer, protocol analyzer (SPI, CAN, Ethernet or similar)
- Experience developing software for embedded systems in C or C++, or significant experience in another software language
- Familiarity with common electronic components and comfortable reading circuit design schematics and contributing to hardware design discussions
- Familiarity with communication theory and signal processing algorithms
- Experience working with software defined radios (SDR)
- Excellent leadership, communication and teamwork skills
- Experience using Python, Matlab, or similar
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay Range:
FPGA Engineer /Level I: $120,000.00 - $145,000.00/per year
FPGA Engineer /Level II: $140,000.00 - $170,000.00/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.
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 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 SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected].
Top Skills
What We Do
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary.
SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.