Sr. Aviation Development Engineer, Networking (Starlink)

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. AVIATION DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER, NETWORKING (STARLINK)

We are rapidly accelerating our transformation of the airline passenger experience and are seeking engineers with a track record of new product launch, service introduction and engineering solutions to complex technical challenges with partners and customers. Starlink designs, builds, tests and operates all of the technology utilized in our solutions for airlines. Our mission is to put Starlink on everything that flies and bring the Starlink experience to millions of passengers globally.  To accomplish this, we are creating deep technical alignment with our airline partners across the areas of passenger experience, mechanical and electrical integration, network performance and measurement and application-level features and functionality.

As a Sr. Aviation Development Engineer, you will drive the requirements of the next-generation passenger cabin environment, design and support of hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) lab representations of airline cabins, and translate lab and flight data into architecture decisions that scale across fleets. You will own the technical engagement defining the process, critical milestones, technology trades, resource prioritization, compliance with customer and manufacturing requirements and technical documentation needed to drive Starlink’s passenger experience to support a multi-gigabit environment. Your high integrity, command of engineering first principles, attention to detail, ability to set and keep commitments across a range of internal and external stakeholders while delivering results will be crucial factors in your success in this role.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own cabin connectivity architecture for assigned airline programs: access-point placement and count, band/channel plan, frequency reuse, client density, QoS, and backhaul to the Starlink terminal
• Specify and drive next-generation passenger-cabin Wi-Fi requirements (Wi-Fi 6/6E vs Wi-Fi 7, multi-AP coordination, MLO, 6 GHz use in the cabin, coexistence with IFE/crew/ops SSIDs and other RF occupants)
• Design, stand up, and operate HITL (hardware-in-the-loop) lab environments that represent airline cabins: routers/APs, client devices, authentication backends, traffic generators, and RF/isolation fixtures; use the lab to prove architecture before fleet rollout
• Configure and validate cabin routers and access points (SSID/VLAN/DHCP/NAT or routed designs, ACLs, QoS, captive portal vs 802.1X/Passpoint, RADIUS/AAA, certificates, roaming)
• Define and verify passenger authentication and hotspot security: WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise, Passpoint (Hotspot 2.0 / IEEE 802.11u), ANQP, EAP methods (TTLS, TLS, AKA/AKA'), OpenRoaming where relevant, and crew/ops network isolation
• Work IP networking and protocol design end to end (IPv4/IPv6, routing, DHCP, DNS, NAT, TCP/UDP/QUIC, multicast, DHCP option sets, MTU/MSS, CGNAT implications on satellite backhaul)
• Turn coverage, throughput, and authentication measurements (lab and aircraft) into requirements, test plans, and design changes for product and airline partners
• Responsible for the technical engagement and successful Starlink service launch of Starlink with airline partners
• Establish and maintain comprehensive program governance, delivering accurate, timely reporting to both customer-facing teams and SpaceX leadership
• Lead strategic program reviews, coordination meetings, and workshops with internal stakeholders, customers, airframe manufacturers, and industry partners
• Engage with customers during pre-sales to deeply understand requirements and translate them into actionable technical and operational plans
• Coordinate across company departments, vendors, airframe manufacturers, and partners to prepare technical, compliance, and commercial artifacts for licenses, type approvals, and regulatory audits
• Navigate complex schedules and project dependencies ensuring a maximally efficient use of SpaceX resources and customer success
• Work closely with the FAA and other aerospace regulatory bodies to ensure full compliance throughout the customer engagement
• Manage multiple concurrent projects and provide regular updates on schedule and deliverables to senior management
• Act as the subject matter expert on the SpaceX Aviation Integration process and create alignment across all partners
• Work across all stakeholders to ensure feedback is incorporated into project schedules and statement of work

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline
• 5+ years of experience in an engineering function (EG: software, network, mechanical, electrical) OR a technical program/product management role focused on bringing programs/products/services to market

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex technical programs with aerospace manufacturers from ideation, commercial negotiation, and implementation to roll-out
• Experience in one or more of the following functional areas: software architecture and protocols, electrical interfaces and standards, wireless data communications, mechanical structures or thermal analysis
• Wi-Fi systems design experience (not only network operations): IEEE 802.11 PHY/MAC, Wi-Fi 6/6E vs Wi-Fi 7 trades (OFDMA, MU-MIMO, MLO, 320 MHz), RF link budget, antenna/AP architecture, and frequency reuse / channel allocation in high-client-density environments
• Hands-on IP networking and router/AP configuration in production or HITL labs (switching/routing, VLANs, QoS, firewall/ACL, RADIUS, certificates, packet capture and protocol analysis)
• Experience with hotspot security and passenger authentication: captive portal vs 802.1X, WPA3-Enterprise, Passpoint / Hotspot 2.0, ANQP, EAP-TTLS / EAP-TLS / EAP-AKA, and related identity/AAA design
• Experience designing, building, or operating hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) or RF/system integration labs, including writing and executing integration and regression test plans
• Familiarity with Wi-Fi Alliance / IEEE 802.11 standards development or certification (or equivalent wireless standards work)
• Ability to drive cabin-environment requirements: coverage vs capacity, crew vs passenger SSIDs, IFE coexistence, EMI/EMC constraints, and next-generation architecture for new aircraft types
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex technical programs with aerospace manufacturers from ideation, commercial negotiation, and implementation to roll-out
• Experience in one or more of the following functional areas:  software architecture and protocols, electrical interfaces and standards, wireless data communications, mechanical structures or thermal analysis
• Experience conducting commercial and technical trades across partner and internal stakeholders
• Demonstrated high accountability to producing the correct requirements, eliminating complexity and communicating dependencies, critical path and key decision-points to a large group of stakeholders
• Experience with industry certification and regulatory compliance
• Experience with commissioning and testing, writing and executing integration plans
• Previous technical ownership of a complex project involving numerous stakeholders from conception to customer acceptance
• Demonstrated ability to produce documentation deliverables on a tight timeline
• Extremely strong proficiency with Microsoft Word as a tool to produce and manage large documents
• Experience generating schematics, diagrams, and data visualizations that clearly communicate design intent of systems, tests or analysis
• Hardware ownership for mechanical or electrical systems through entire lifecycle (design, qualification, manufacturing, and launch)
• Understanding of failure modes of complex mechanical and electrical systems
• Extremely strong verbal and written communication skills

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary to support critical milestones
• Ability to travel if needed (0-25%) 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 3: $135,000.00 - $220,000.00

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 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 and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

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 reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.