Avionics System Engineer, HITL (Starfall)

Location: Hawthorne, CA

Department: Falcon and Dragon Avionics & Software Engineering

AVIONICS SYSTEM ENGINEER, HITL (STARFALL)

When designing new vehicles at SpaceX, Hardware in the Loop (HITL) testing is the very first time real hardware comes together in a complete system! The Starfall HITL team races to design and build these cutting edge systems so the software, hardware, and the whole vehicle system can be validated. These HITL systems incorporate avionics flight hardware, racks, servers, power supplies, and custom simulators to provide a platform for teams to validate the vehicle design. It is a critical piece of making Starfall the most reliable reentry vehicle in the world.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop HITL systems for in-house developed avionics hardware products that will fly to space
• Develop software to monitor and validate performance of HITL hardware systems including OTS equipment and flight avionics
• Develop automation in Python to deploy software to avionics boxes in HITL system as well as PXI chassis in racks
• Design HITL harnessing connecting avionics boxes together in a similar manner to the flight vehicle
• Triage, troubleshoot, root cause, and repair electrical hardware issues on HITL tables at an aggressive production schedule. Drive future improvements to minimize prevent reoccurrence

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science or physics 
• 1+ years of experience with hardware development or electronics test engineering via professional experience, internships, research and/or outside the classroom projects
• 1+ years of python programming experience

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience designing avionics systems on vehicles (system definition, harness drawings)
• Experience with electrical test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, etc.)
• Experience troubleshooting sensors, actuators, and electrical components
• Experience with 3D CAD software
• Software fluency in python, enabling automation of test or analysis tasks
• Self-motivated with strong multi-tasking, organizational and communication skills
• Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding atmosphere
• Operations experience in flight test, piloting aircraft, or controlling other high consequence systems in real time

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 1: $105,000.00 - $140,000.00
Level 2: $120,000.00 - $170,000.00

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 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.