Embedded Software Engineer, RF Payloads (Starshield)

SpaceX · Hawthorne, CA

Posted Sep 28, 2026

Est. total comp~$201K–$317K

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From the posting

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.

EMBEDDED SOFTWARE ENGINEER, RF PAYLOADS (STARSHIELD)

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads. As a RF software engineer on the Starshield team, you will be working on advanced development programs in support of US National Security. You will work with a team of RF engineers, DSP engineers, software engineers, hardware engineers and end users to design and build RF capabilities for proliferated communications and remote sensing in low earth orbit. You will work in a highly collaborative and fast-paced environment, where we are exploring unsolved problems and applying the SpaceX mindset of iterating rapidly to go from design and demo to operational capability at lightning pace.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Drive program-level decisions on RF system designs

Research novel solutions for unique large-scale satellite RF systems …

Excerpt from SpaceX's public job board. Read the full posting.

Get ready for this role

Crew department: Rover Ops

Skills this kind of role usually asks for:

Controls and kinematics
Perception and sensor fusion
C++ and Python
Path planning
Field testing robots

Train for it: the Rover Ops Track: Autonomy, Field Maintenance and Drones. 4 short modules, a quiz after each one and a final test. Pass it and you get the Mars Mining Certificate in Rover Operations Fundamentals, with its own public page you can link from your resume.

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I can do Controls and kinematics on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Perception and sensor fusion on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do C++ and Python on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Path planning on the job, or have used it in a class or project I can do Field testing robots on the job, or have used it in a class or project I have a project or work sample I could show an interviewer My resume is tailored to this kind of role I've practiced answering interview questions for this kind of job

Free. The department comes from the job title and can be off. A Mars Mining certificate shows you studied and passed our test; it isn't a license or academic credit.

About this listing. Pulled automatically from SpaceX's public job board and refreshed daily; closed roles are removed. Mars Mining Co. is not the employer, does not take applications and does not screen candidates. Field and level labels come from the job title and can be wrong.

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Embedded Software Engineer, RF Payloads (Starshield)

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