Sr. PCB Designer

SpaceX· Hawthorne, CA· Starshield Satellite Engineering

Posted 2026-10-30

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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.

SR. 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 Sr. 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 7+ years of professional experience with PCB layout in lieu of a degree
5+ years of professional experience with PCB layout

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

6+ 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
3+ 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 Top Secret, Top Secret SCI, or DOE Level Q 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:
Sr. PCB Designer: $140,000 - $205,000.00/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 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 and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company 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 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].

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