Hardware Development Engineer, Gateway Failure Analysis (Starlink)
Bastrop, TXfull time
On Site
entry
H1B: no
SpaceX Hardware Development Engineer for Gateway Failure Analysis on Starlink responsible for designing, building, and testing electronics for ground stations. Ensures ground antenna hardware reliability under harsh environmental conditions.
Responsibilities
Design, develop, and execute novel environmental, RF, mechanical, and electrical test solutions for our ground antenna electronics and payload
Perform detailed failure analysis of ground antenna hardware, identifying root causes of failures and implementing corrective actions
Select commercial-off-the-shelf hardware and/or design custom PCBAs to measure signals, apply flight-like loads, and power units under test
Hands-on support of hardware through design qualification, production ramp, and ground network rollout
Work closely with engineers from adjacent disciplines (mechanical, thermal, software, test engineering, supply chain, silicon design) to deliver tightly integrated, high-performance hardware
Perform electrical bench testing of failures to replicate and inform mitigation of anomalies
Drive continual improvements to our designs by building physical and digital tools to analyze data collected both in the field and in the lab
Challenge assumptions and work to find simple solutions to complex problems
Qualification
Experience analyzing circuits and PCBAs
Required
Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, or other STEM discipline
1+ years of experience in hardware development, failure analysis, or reliability engineering (internships and co-ops acceptable)
Preferred
Master’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, or other STEM discipline
Experience with both electronics and mechanical design and analysis including knowledge of RF principles
Experience analyzing circuits and PCBAs, and developing functional test plans
Experience with test equipment and measurement techniques to verify and validate product requirements (oscilloscope, multimeter, electronic load, spectrum analyzer, network analyzer, vector signal generator, source measurement unit, etc.)
Experience in environmental testing such as HALT/HASS, thermal, humidity, shock & vibration
Strong understanding of computers and programming languages (Python, C/C++)
Thorough understanding of electronics reliability, manufacturing, and failure mechanisms
Knowledge of quality tools such as Lean principles, Six Sigma, and root cause analysis methods
