Principal ASIC Design Engineer (Starshield)
SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP, Palo Alto, CA, United States
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.
Principal ASIC Design Engineer (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 an ASIC Design Engineer on the Starshield team, you will be working on advanced development programs in support of U.S. National Security. In this role you will be developing cutting‑edge next‑generation FPGAs and ASICs for deployment in space and ground infrastructures around the globe. You will work in a highly collaborative and fast‑paced environment, where we are exploring unsolved problems and applying the SpaceX mindset of iterating rapidly to go from design and demo to operational capability at lightning pace.
Responsibilities
Design digital ASICs and/or FPGAs for Starshield projects.
Evaluate architectural trade‑offs based on features, performance requirements and system limitations. Derive specifications for the subsystems and circuits, and work with modem/DSP and RFIC engineers to partition functions between hardware and software domains.
Define micro‑architecture, implement the RTL in Verilog/System Verilog, integrate that in top level and deliver the fully verified, synthesis/timing clean design.
Work closely with verification team to ensure all aspects of the design are covered and verified.
Provide timing constraints for those IPs and support the physical implementation team (synthesis, timing closure, formality check).
Participate in silicon bring‑up and validation. Assist in the development of automated test lab equipment for lab measurements.
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science.
10+ years of experience in RTL implementation and/or FPGA/ASIC development.
Preferred Skills and Experience
Experience solving problems including clock domain crossings and power optimization.
Experience with multicore CPU subsystem design.
Experience with standard bus protocols (e.g. AXI, AHB, etc.).
Experience with embedded processors.
Experience with high speed and low power design techniques.
Experience with EDA tools such as HDL simulators (e.g. VCS, Questa, IES), HDL Lint tools (e.g. Spyglass) and FPGA tools (e.g. Xilinx Vivado, Altera Quartus II).
Ability to work in a dynamic environment with changing needs and requirements.
Team‑player, can‑do attitude and ability to work well in a group environment while still contributing on an individual basis.
Enjoy being challenged and learning new skills.
Additional Requirements
Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support critical milestones.
Willingness to travel for off‑site testing.
An active TS‑SCI 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 testing.
Compensation and Benefits
Pay range: Principal ASIC Design Engineer: $210,000 – $295,000 per year. Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on job‑related knowledge, skills, education, and experience. Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $15,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.
Benefits include long‑term incentives (company stock, stock options, or long‑term cash awards), discretionary bonuses, opportunity to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, comprehensive medical, vision and dental coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, short‑ and long‑term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, various discounts and perks, three weeks of paid vacation, ten or more paid holidays per year, and paid sick leave in accordance with company policy.
Government Export Regulations
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 ITAR here.
Equal Employment Opportunity
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on a basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin, 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 contact EEOCompliance@spacex.com.
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Principal ASIC Design Engineer (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 an ASIC Design Engineer on the Starshield team, you will be working on advanced development programs in support of U.S. National Security. In this role you will be developing cutting‑edge next‑generation FPGAs and ASICs for deployment in space and ground infrastructures around the globe. You will work in a highly collaborative and fast‑paced environment, where we are exploring unsolved problems and applying the SpaceX mindset of iterating rapidly to go from design and demo to operational capability at lightning pace.
Responsibilities
Design digital ASICs and/or FPGAs for Starshield projects.
Evaluate architectural trade‑offs based on features, performance requirements and system limitations. Derive specifications for the subsystems and circuits, and work with modem/DSP and RFIC engineers to partition functions between hardware and software domains.
Define micro‑architecture, implement the RTL in Verilog/System Verilog, integrate that in top level and deliver the fully verified, synthesis/timing clean design.
Work closely with verification team to ensure all aspects of the design are covered and verified.
Provide timing constraints for those IPs and support the physical implementation team (synthesis, timing closure, formality check).
Participate in silicon bring‑up and validation. Assist in the development of automated test lab equipment for lab measurements.
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science.
10+ years of experience in RTL implementation and/or FPGA/ASIC development.
Preferred Skills and Experience
Experience solving problems including clock domain crossings and power optimization.
Experience with multicore CPU subsystem design.
Experience with standard bus protocols (e.g. AXI, AHB, etc.).
Experience with embedded processors.
Experience with high speed and low power design techniques.
Experience with EDA tools such as HDL simulators (e.g. VCS, Questa, IES), HDL Lint tools (e.g. Spyglass) and FPGA tools (e.g. Xilinx Vivado, Altera Quartus II).
Ability to work in a dynamic environment with changing needs and requirements.
Team‑player, can‑do attitude and ability to work well in a group environment while still contributing on an individual basis.
Enjoy being challenged and learning new skills.
Additional Requirements
Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support critical milestones.
Willingness to travel for off‑site testing.
An active TS‑SCI 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 testing.
Compensation and Benefits
Pay range: Principal ASIC Design Engineer: $210,000 – $295,000 per year. Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on job‑related knowledge, skills, education, and experience. Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $15,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.
Benefits include long‑term incentives (company stock, stock options, or long‑term cash awards), discretionary bonuses, opportunity to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, comprehensive medical, vision and dental coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, short‑ and long‑term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, various discounts and perks, three weeks of paid vacation, ten or more paid holidays per year, and paid sick leave in accordance with company policy.
Government Export Regulations
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 ITAR here.
Equal Employment Opportunity
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on a basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin, 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 contact EEOCompliance@spacex.com.
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