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.

SR. AVIONICS TEST ENGINEER

Want to design test systems at a speed never before seen in the industry? At SpaceX, we are designing systems to test avionics in a matter of weeks, not months or years! The Avionics Test group is the last line of defense testing and screening out all electronic hardware on our rockets and spacecraft. Hardware tested by the team includes but is not limited to: flight computers, power conversion units, analog and digital circuit boards, FPGAs, and communication system units. The team is critical in SpaceX's fundamental goal: allowing humanity to explore the stars. It is a huge undertaking and with it comes extreme responsibility to ensure the safety of the crew and payload.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Develop test solutions for in-house developed avionics hardware products that will fly to space
  • Write automation software in Python to interact with units under test, test equipment, instrumentation, and production documentation systems
  • Work closely with and consistently provide feedback to responsible design engineers, manufacturing engineers, and production teams to drive design or infrastructure improvements to increase product reliability and yield
  • Root-cause test failures to ensure issues are understood and develop and implement mitigations as part of a process of continuous improvement
  • Develop modular and reusable automated test architectures which can efficiently be deployed across multiple product lines
  • Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science or physics 
  • 5+ years of experience with hardware development or electronics test engineering
  • 5+ years of programming experience, with an emphasis in object-oriented development

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Experience with test equipment and measurement techniques to verify and validate product requirements
  • Understanding of electrical schematics and electronics manufacturing to analyze and improve test coverage
  • Strong understanding of metrology, sources of measurement error, and uncertainty analysis
  • Experience analyzing product schematics to determine test coverage and test system design requirements
  • Understanding and experience in environmental testing such as vibration, shock, thermal, burn-in, and TVAC
  • Experience developing test systems from scratch to verify and validate product requirements

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:    
    
Pay range:    
Avionics Test Engineer/Senior: $130,000.00 - $180,000.00/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 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.  

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.

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