RF Silicon Software Engineer (RFIC Engineering)
SpaceXJob Title
RF Silicon Software Engineer (RFIC Engineering)
Role Summary
Develop low-level embedded software to bring up and control custom RF silicon used in Starlink satellites, ground stations, and user terminals. Work on driver libraries, hardware test platforms, automated tests, and integration with flight software teams.
Experience Level
Entry-level - early career. The posting requests 1+ years of professional software development experience.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include bringing up new RF silicon, implementing production-quality low-level drivers, and validating software on hardware testbeds and emulators.
- Perform first-time chip bring-up for new RF silicon.
- Design and implement modular, reusable driver libraries for low-level silicon control with emphasis on timing, throughput, and performance.
- Design and build hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test platforms, create automated integration and regression tests, and validate drivers on physical hardware or FPGA emulators.
- Support integration of silicon control software into flight and production software teams (e.g., satellite phased arrays, user terminals).
Requirements
Must-have technical skills, operational constraints, and preferred capabilities.
- Must-have: 1+ years professional development experience in C, C++, or Python.
- Must-have: Strong debugging, performance optimization, and unit testing skills for embedded software.
- Must-have: Experience working across the hardware/embedded software boundary and integrating software with physical hardware or emulators.
- Must-have: Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed to meet critical milestones.
- Must-have: To meet export control requirements, applicants must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee) or otherwise eligible under ITAR.
- Nice-to-have: Hands-on troubleshooting with lab equipment (power supplies, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes) and familiarity reading schematics and PCB layouts.
- Nice-to-have: Familiarity with FPGA design, HDLs (SystemVerilog, etc.), low-level register access, and hardware test automation.
- Nice-to-have: Experience creating production-ready driver libraries and automated HIL/integration test suites.
Education Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline, mathematics, or physics. (This is listed as a Basic Qualification in the source.)
About the Company
Company: SpaceX
Headquarters: Hawthorne, California, United States
SpaceX is focused on developing space technologies to enable human exploration of Mars and beyond. The company is known for its advancements in rocketry and its Starlink satellite constellation, which delivers high-speed internet globally.
