Sr. PCB Designer (Starship)

About the role

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!

As a PCB Designer on the Starship team, you'll be responsible for creating the layout for all our in-house board designs. 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 power converters and more.

Responsibilities

• Determine layer stack-up, perform component package selection, component placement, routing feasibility studies, and signal routing of digital, analog, RF, and power conversion of printed circuit boards (PCB)
• Perform multilayer PCB layout (20+ layers), including component placement, high-speed routing (differential pairs, length matching), controlled impedance, and power/ground plane design
• Conduct pre- and post-layout SI/PI simulations to mitigate crosstalk, reflections, and EMI/EMC issues
• Perform DRC/ERC checks, peer reviews, and design audits; collaborate with hardware/firmware engineers for functional validation and prototype bring-up support
• Produce fabrication deliverables (Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, drill files, stack-up drawings, assembly files)
• Analyze designs for manufacturability; incorporate production feedback from fabrication houses and assembly partners to reduce costs and improve yield
• Collaborate with internal teams and PCB vendors to continually improve design rules, constraints and design for test and manufacture guidelines
• Customize and verify symbols, footprints, and 3D models; interface with PCB librarians for new parts and resolve library discrepancies
• Work with mechanical, thermal, RF, and test engineers on stack-up planning, thermal vias, shielding, and enclosure integration; participate in design reviews and risk assessments
• Assist our librarians in creating, updating, and maintaining accurate PCB component libraries including symbols, footprints, 3D STEP models, and parametric data in CAD tools like Altium and Xpedition
• Drive the future roadmap for SpaceX to incorporate custom AI tools to radically improve the efficiency of PCB design tasks

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience with PCB layout

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 5+ 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
• 2+ 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
• Proficiency in generating fabrication outputs (Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, drill files), DFM/DFA analysis, constraint-driven design, and collaboration with libraries (symbols, footprints, 3D models)
• Ability to visualize component placement and interconnectivity
• Proficiency in Python, Altium/Mentor Xpedition scripting, or similar for automating library tasks, data extraction, and validation
• Demonstrated cross functional project management skills and ability to collaborate with other engineering disciplines
• Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding start-up atmosphere
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Additional Requirements

• Extended hours and weekend work may be required to support critical project and mission milestones

Pay range

PCB Designer /Senior: $130,000- $230,000.00/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 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.