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PCB Designer (Starship)

SpaceX· Starship Electronics
Apply on company site
Hawthorne, CA$100k - $140kFull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

PCB Designer on the Starship team responsible for creating layouts for in-house boards, collaborating with Hardware Development Engineers, and contributing to a variety of designs from radio phased arrays to power converters.

Responsibilities

  • Determine layer stack-up, perform component package selection, component placement, routing feasibility studies, and signal routing of digital, analog, RF, and power conversion of printed circuit boards (PCB)
  • Perform multilayer PCB layout (20+ layers), including component placement, high-speed routing (differential pairs, length matching), controlled impedance, and power/ground plane design
  • Conduct pre- and post-layout SI/PI simulations to mitigate crosstalk, reflections, and EMI/EMC issues
  • Perform DRC/ERC checks, peer reviews, and design audits; collaborate with hardware/firmware engineers for functional validation and prototype bring-up support
  • Produce fabrication deliverables (Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, drill files, stack-up drawings, assembly files)
  • Analyze designs for manufacturability; incorporate production feedback from fabrication houses and assembly partners to reduce costs and improve yield
  • Collaborate with internal teams and PCB vendors to continually improve design rules, constraints and design for test and manufacture guidelines
  • Customize and verify symbols, footprints, and 3D models; interface with PCB librarians for new parts and resolve library discrepancies
  • Work with mechanical, thermal, RF, and test engineers on stack-up planning, thermal vias, shielding, and enclosure integration; participate in design reviews and risk assessments
  • Assist our librarians in creating, updating, and maintaining accurate PCB component libraries including symbols, footprints, 3D STEP models, and parametric data in CAD tools like Altium and Xpedition
  • Drive the future roadmap for SpaceX to incorporate custom AI tools to radically improve the efficiency of PCB design tasks

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering OR 3+ years of professional experience with PCB layout in lieu of a degree (internships and club/project work applies)
  • 2+ years of experience with PCB layout and routing in areas like modern passive and active electronics components, surface-mount, RF components, fine pitch BGAs, or high pin density components
  • 1+ years of experience with ECAD libraries and library configuration management
  • Demonstrated understanding of design for manufacturability, assembly, and test
  • Experience with Mentor Xpedition and/or Altium Designer (Mentor Xpedition preferred)
  • Experience with layout of mixed analog and digital designs, high speed buses, FPGA, DRAM and CPU designs, power supplies, DC-DC converters, transmission lines, impedance-controlled traces and power traces
  • Proficiency in generating fabrication outputs (Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, drill files), DFM/DFA analysis, constraint-driven design, and collaboration with libraries (symbols, footprints, 3D models)
  • Ability to visualize component placement and interconnectivity
  • Proficiency in Python, Altium/Mentor Xpedition scripting, or similar for automating library tasks, data extraction, and validation
  • Demonstrated cross functional project management skills and ability to collaborate with other engineering disciplines
  • Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding start-up atmosphere
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Skills

Required:PCB layout and routingECAD libraries and library configuration managementMentor Xpedition and Altium DesignerFabrication outputs (Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581)
Nice to have:DFM/DFTA and design for testPython / scripting for automation

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
  • 401(k) retirement plan
  • Short and long-term disability insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid parental leave
  • Various discounts and perks
  • 3 weeks of paid vacation and 10+ paid holidays per year
  • Paid sick leave per company policy
Last updated Sep 30, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

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