← All roles

Optical Transceiver Engineer - High Speed Links, Satellites (Starlink)

SpaceX· Satellite Bus Engineering
Apply on company site
Redmond, WA$105k - $145k-full-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

Optical datacom engineer for Starlink Space Lasers team responsible for optical datacom system design, validation, and operation within SpaceX Starlink satellites.

Responsibilities

  • Apply interdisciplinary knowledge, spanning photonics, electrical engineering/signals, and mechanical engineering concepts to data communication system development, including design, analysis, and validation
  • Represent the optical data communication network in program-level, cross-disciplinary trades and issue resolution
  • Perform trade space analysis between various optical interconnect technologies and approaches to minimize SWaP-C while meeting throughput and reliability/uptime requirements
  • Participate in verification testing, including environmental qualification, functional qualification, reliability testing, and fault injection testing
  • Review test data and lead anomaly investigation and resolution
  • Maintain link models, design specifications, and system capabilities data
  • Interface with manufacturing and supply chain teams to ensure final designs can be manufactured in accordance with overall project goals
  • Collaborate with software and automation teams to develop tools and protocols for automated link tuning, operation and qualification
  • Represent optical datacom systems for reliability and risk discussions with internal reliability teams, management, customers, and vendors

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in physics, computer science, electrical engineering, or other engineering/STEM discipline
  • 1+ years of hands-on laboratory or work experience in photonics, SERDES/optical DSP design, or signal integrity design (university lab, student project, or internship experience can apply)
  • 1+ years of experience in a computer programming language (e.g. C++, MATLAB, and/or Python)

Skills

Required:photonic and optical system knowledgetrade space analysisverification testingtest data review and anomaly investigationmanufacturing and supply chain interfacingsoftware and automation collaborationreliability and risk discussionsprogramming

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
  • 401(k) retirement plan
  • Short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance
  • Paid parental leave and various other discounts and perks
  • Potential for long-term incentives, including stock or long-term cash awards
  • Discretionary bonuses and Employee Stock Purchase Plan
  • Paid vacation and holidays (3 weeks vacation, 10+ holidays per year)
  • Washington State paid sick time; company shuttles for commuting from select Seattle locations to Redmond
Last updated Aug 5, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About SpaceX

defense-aero-and-safetysetter-30setter-30-2026-q1wing-list-2026wing-list-2026-giga-stage
Company profileWebsite

More open roles at SpaceX