PCB Designer, Avionics (Falcon & Dragon)

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.

PCB DESIGNER, AVIONICS (FALCON & DRAGON)

As a PCB Designer on the Avionics Hardware Development team, you will have the unique opportunity to perform printed circuit board layouts from designed circuit schematics. While performing layout, you will be working as part of a larger interdisciplinary team. You will work directly with other electrical engineers to review and update schematics, providing your expertise and recommendations at each design review, and iterating your designs to come up with the best possible solutions. You will work with your mechanical engineer counterparts to determine fastener and EEE component placement to ensure your PCB design can survive the harsh environments experienced by a spacecraft (thermal, shock, vibe, EMI, etc).

You will be responsible for creating circuit board layouts that will control our spacecraft to ensure mission success.This is a high-impact, high-ownership position ideal for engineers who are passionate about circuit board design, thrive on technical challenges, and are hungry to have your name written on the silkscreen of circuit boards that will fly in space.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Review and update schematics for compilation requirements, and assist engineers in the capture of hierarchical designs

• Determine layer stackup, perform component package selection, component placement, routing feasibility studies, and signal routing of digital, analog, RF, and power conversion of printed circuit boards (PCB)

• Produce printed circuit board designs for the avionics team supporting launch vehicles and spacecraft

• Interface with manufacturing to produce designs that meet DFM guidelines.

• Create and maintain library

• Create and release documentation for the fabrication of PCBs

• Collaborate with internal teams and PCB vendors to continually improve design rules, constraints and design for test and manufacture guidelines

• Utilize PCB design tools, maintain and evaluate new tools, and train team members to use tools

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or computer engineering

• 1+ years of experience in electronics hardware design (academic projects, internships, and professional experience qualify)

• 1+ years of experience with electrical test equipment (e.g., multimeters, signal generators, oscilloscopes) to verify hardware functionality

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience with schematic capture and PCB layout software (KiCad, Altium, Eagle, Xpedition)

• Experience with electrical simulation software (LTspice, SIMetrix, or similar)

• Ability to design analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuits

• Knowledge of digital communications interfaces including SPI