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Sr. Optical Transceiver Engineer - High Speed Links, Satelites (Starlink)

SpaceX· Satellite Bus Engineering
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Redmond, WA$140k - $235kFull-timePosted 5d ago

About the role

Optical datacom engineer responsible for design, validation, and operation of optical data communication systems within SpaceX Starlink satellites. Roles include cross-disciplinary system design, verification, and collaboration with manufacturing, software, and reliability teams to enable high-bandwidth optical interconnects in spacecraft payloads.

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 optical interconnect technologies to minimize SWaP-C while meeting throughput and reliability/uptime requirements
  • Participate in verification testing (environmental, functional, reliability, fault injection)
  • Review test data and lead anomaly investigation and resolution
  • Maintain link models, design specifications, and system capabilities data
  • Interface with manufacturing and supply chain to ensure designs can be manufactured per project goals
  • Collaborate with software and automation teams to develop tools for automated link tuning, operation and qualification
  • Represent optical datacom systems in reliability and risk discussions with internal teams, customers, and vendors

Qualifications

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

Skills

Required:Data communication system designProgrammingSystem verification and testingThresholds for SWaP-C trade-offsCross-disciplinary collaboration

Benefits

  • Long-term incentives (stock or long-term cash awards)
  • Discretionary bonuses and Employee Stock Purchase Plan
  • Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
  • 401(k) retirement plan
  • short and long-term disability insurance
  • life insurance
  • paid parental leave
  • paid vacation (3 weeks)
  • 10+ paid holidays per year
  • paid sick time (Washington state)
  • Company shuttles from Seattle-area locations to Redmond office
Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

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