Power Electronics Engineer, Consumer Hardware & Gateways (Starlink)

About the role

Starlink believes in providing fast, reliable internet to serve populations with little or no connectivity. We design, build, launch, and operate the world's largest constellation of satellites, enabling us to operate a global internet network unbounded by traditional ground infrastructure limitations.

Starlink also designs, builds, and delivers high-volume consumer hardware that allows users to connect to these satellites within minutes of unboxing, as well as the high-power gateway infrastructure we deploy regionally throughout the world. The root of SpaceX's success so far lies in our mission to keep engineering and production in-house, which enables a tight feedback loop, nimble decision-making, and speedy deliverables.

With millions of daily users worldwide already online, Starlink is truly a game-changer and levels the playing field for those who were previously unconnected.

As a Power Electronics Engineer on Starlink in Bastrop, you will own converters and power architecture for hardware that talks to the constellation. This role covers two product classes on the same team; you may focus on one or work across both.

• Gateway / infrastructure: design high-power (multi-kW) AC/DC, DC/DC, and power distribution for outdoor ground-station electronics that must survive heat, cold, lightning, and poor grid quality while staying on-air.
• Consumer / user terminals: design the power path for products we ship by the million (user terminals, routers, accessories). Cost, yield, DFM/DFA, test time, and weeks-not-months iteration matter as much as efficiency. You will be in the factory loop, not only the lab.

Our customers include teachers in the most remote parts of the Amazon, researchers in Antarctica, digital nomads who travel via RV, emergency responders, commercial airlines, cruise lines, and residential users in rural or developing areas. You will own hardware from concept through production ramp and will present design trades to senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and test highly reliable power electronics for hardware that communicates with our satellites
• Provide engineering expertise in the design, analysis, and testing of AC/DC and DC-DC converters from watt-class boards through multi-kW racks
• Architect system-level power distribution; lead design trades and development of requirements with RF, thermal, mechanical, test, and firmware
• Own schematic capture, magnetics specification, control-loop design, and layout constraints through prototype bring-up
• Define and perform electrical power system verification: efficiency, thermal, EMC, surge/transient, and reliability
• Work with multidisciplinary teams of design, test, and production engineers to take new power electronics from EVT through production ramp and cost-down

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or other engineering discipline
• 1+ years of experience designing power electronics (converters, magnetics, or power stages); internships or extracurricular experience is applicable

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master's degree in electrical engineering
• 3+ years of experience in power converter development
• Strong understanding of AC/DC and DC-DC topologies, with ability to select optimal architectures and components
• Strong understanding of analog control and discrete logic design
• Strong understanding of design for fault tolerance and reliability
• Experience solving EMC related issues
• Experience in modeling, simulation, and testing of power electronics
• Experience in voltage and current mode control and compensation design
• Experience with AC-DC converters and power factor correction
• Experience with in-lab impedance measurement and loop-gain measurement
• Familiarity with the design of wire-wound and planar inductors and transformers
• Experience with either high-volume consumer power (cost, DFM, NPI) or high-power outdoor/infrastructure supplies
• Experience with power-stage PCB layout (switching loops, grounding, EMI)

Additional Requirements

• Ability to work extended hours or weekends as needed for mission critical deadlines

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.