Lead Avionics Test Engineer (Starship)

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.

LEAD AVIONICS TEST ENGINEER

Become a part of the Starship team which is working to revolutionize orbital flight and space travel - opening access for humankind to establish new frontiers in space, and make human kind a multi-planetary species. Avionics Test Engineering lives at the intersection of hardware + software and spans dozens of subject matter areas (sensors, RF, power electronics, vision systems, computation nodes, networking). Avionics Test Engineers are the vanguard of protecting our space vehicles from faulty hardware, and serve as the last line of defense before hardware is shipped to the vehicle. We own the complete lifecycle of Test Engineering: from rack design, fabrication, and bring-up to development + qualification testing, production support, and production system automation. As a Lead Avionics Test Engineer, you will lead the team of engineers and specialists who make this possible.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage projects within the team by meeting with customers, deriving requirements, creating schedules, mitigating risks, and ensuring engineers are hitting key milestones
• Track, execute, validate, and release automated test system projects to production
• Drive high level software and hardware architecture design for the team
• Work with hardware development engineers to define Avionics test and DFT requirements
• Work with production to set priorities and mitigate blockers
• Write performance reviews
• Meet regularly with team members to discuss projects and responsibilities
• Identify resource needs and manage team technical and professional growth
• Work with multidisciplinary teams and leaders across Avionics to enable successful execution of state-of-the-art Avionics test projects from beginning to end
• Drive the team to write automation software in Python to interact with units under test, test equipment, instrumentation, and production documentation systems

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science or physics
• 2+ years of experience with electronics hardware development and/or electronics Test Engineering
• 1+ years of programming experience in python

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master's degree in electrical Engineering, computer engineering or equivalent area of focus
• Experience teaching engineers to use test equipment and measurement techniques to verify and validate product requirements
• Experience developing modular tools to be used in a Test Engineering environment
• Experience engaging with engineers to utilize common tools and processes to improve team efficiency
• Understanding of metrology, sources of measurement error, and uncertainty analysis
• Experience developing object-oriented software
• Experience analyzing circuits and developing functional test plans
• Understanding and experience in environmental testing such as vibration, shock, thermal, burn-in, and TVAC

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work extended hours and weekends as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Lead: $130,000.00 - $200,000.00/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 & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation & will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Exempt employees are eligible for 5 days of sick leave per year. 

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or 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 notify the Human Resources Department at (310) 363-6000.