Wireless Software Engineer (Starlink)

The job

LIVE Employer public job feed (private-sector employer) Source: the employer's public careers feed · Data: listed 2026-07-20

Job description

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.

WIRELESS SOFTWARE ENGINEER (STARLINK)

At SpaceX, we’re leveraging our experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and is providing fast, reliable internet to millions of users worldwide. We design, build, test, and operate all parts of the system – thousands of satellites, consumer receivers that allow users to connect within minutes of unboxing, and the software that brings it all together. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink’s potential global impact and are looking for best-in-class engineers to help maximize Starlink’s utility for communities and businesses around the globe.

As a Wireless Software Engineer on these programs, you will be solving a wide range of novel engineering challenges:

• Firmware, embedded, and signal processing software running on custom hardware that flies the world’s largest fleet of spacecraft.
• Cutting-edge networking algorithms capable of connecting thousands of satellites to millions of users in real time.
• Infrastructure and tools enabling a highly reliable, software-defined global network.

Our Software Engineers are responsible for the complete lifecycle of the software they create, including development, testing, and support.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design, implement, test, and maintain physical and MAC layer software of the wireless software stack for the Starlink communications network.
• Participate in architecting current and next-gen Starlink hardware and signal processing algorithms.
• Participate in hardware bring-up, debugging, verification and launch.
• Work with other teams for cross-layer integration of the end-to-end system.
• Develop prototypes to prove out key design concepts and quantify technical constraints.
• Collaborate with other engineers to plan and organize the development of our products.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or STEM discipline; OR 2+ years of professional software engineering experience, programming with C or C++ in lieu of a degree.
• Experience working with wireless software or network protocols.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Strong knowledge of wireless communications, signal processing and/or network protocols.
• Knowledge of RF systems and fundamentals: noise figure, link budget, non-linearity.
• Experience writing software for RF/mixed-signal integrated circuits and/or systems, such as phase-locked loops, mixers, data-converters, RF attenuators.
• Familiar with design and implementation of Digital Signal Processing algorithms and techniques: FFT, time and frequency domain equalizer, channel estimation, pilot tracking, digital pre-distortion, doppler compensation.
• Experience with lab equipment such as RF spectrum analyzer, network analyzer, signal generator, oscilloscope.
• Experience in any of physical and/or MAC layers in broadband access technologies such as: Wi-Fi, LTE, 5G or satellite broadband.
• Creative approach to problem solving, exceptional analytical skills and engineering fundamentals.
• Strong skills in debugging, performance optimization, and unit testing.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment with changing needs and requirements.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:    
    
Pay range:    
Software Engineer/Level I: $135,000.00 - $155,000.00/per year    
Software Engineer/Level II: $155,000.00 - $185,000.00/per year    
    
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, stock options, 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. 

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Field: Technology Sub-niche: Software engineering All jobs at SpaceX Jobs in California Jobs in Palo Alto, CA Palo Alto city guide California state guide Santa Clara County economy

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About the role

This is a — role in the Technology field (Software engineering) at SpaceX.

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How to prepare and behave

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The city

The job is in Palo Alto, CA. Below is what the official statistics say about living and working there.

How Palo Alto compares. Among the 145 largest places in California, Palo Alto is #122 by population, #4 for college degrees (#1 = most), #139 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #7 for household income (#1 = highest). Its county, Santa Clara County, is #1 of 58 counties for average pay ($197,043).

The place in numbers

Palo Alto has 67,237 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of California. It covers 24 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,796 people per square mile. The median age is 43.6, 15% older than the state median (43.6 against 37.9).

Housing

The median gross rent is $3,484 a month (rent plus utilities), 71% above the state median ($3,484 against $2,036). Over a year that is 18.1% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is above $2 million (the ACS reports $2,000,001 as its highest value, so the true median is higher), which is at least 8.7 times the median household income ($231,101); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 54.6% of households own their home, about the same as the state average (54.6% against 55.9%).

Work and pay

The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area has 1,134,970 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $84,050 a year, 65% above the national median ($84,050 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are computer and mathematical (149,970 jobs, median $186,320); management (115,110 jobs, median $210,750); business and financial operations (94,210 jobs, median $125,240). The area is most specialised in computer and mathematical (3.9 times) and architecture and engineering (2.5 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($210,750) and legal ($195,190). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Santa Clara County was 4.2%. 62.3% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Santa Clara County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.

Getting around

Among workers, 44.2% drive alone, 2.0% use public transit, 4.6% walk, 35.4% work from home. 8.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 58% below the state average (8.2% against 19.4%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.

People and education

82.3% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 122% above the state share (82.3% against 37.1%). 37.0% of residents were born outside the United States, 37% above the state share (37.0% against 27.0%). The poverty rate is 6.0%, 50% below the state rate (6.0% against 12.0%).

Climate

The warmest month is Aug, averaging 68°F (19.8°C), and the coolest is Jan at 47°F (8.3°C). About 510 mm (20 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (114 mm) and Jul the driest (0 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.

Nearby cities to compare

Closest cities in this guide: Los Altos Hills (2 miles, similar rent); Los Altos (3 miles, similar rent); Mountain View (4 miles, rent 12% lower); East Palo Alto (5 miles, rent 36% lower). Rent differences are against Palo Alto; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.

Full guide to Palo Alto →California guideAll jobs in Palo Alto

Official links for Palo Alto

• Census Bureau data profile for Palo Alto
• Official website of Santa Clara County: santaclaracounty.gov
• Official state website: ca.gov
• BLS Economy at a Glance: California

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Where to live

CITY Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Places within 50 miles (straight line) of Palo Alto, CA that have a guide, with what living there costs. No pay estimate is shown because the title did not match one occupation.

Career paths

We could not match this title to one occupation, so here are the other sub-niches in Technology, where your skills may carry over:

Cybersecurity (713) Data, analytics and AI (3366) Cloud, IT and infrastructure (1040) Product management (836)

Distances

CITY Calculation (straight line) Source: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (coordinates) · Data: 2024

How far Palo Alto, CA is from the 20 largest US cities, in straight-line miles (not driving distance). Click a column to sort.

Nearby cities with open jobs (within 120 miles)

The employer

SpaceX is the employer in this listing. See all its open jobs here →

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What it is like to work at a company (culture, schedules, benefits) is not in the source data, so we do not describe it. Read the description and ask the questions under "How to prepare".

Other open jobs at SpaceX

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Same sub-niche: Software engineering

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FAQ

What is the Wireless Software Engineer (Starlink) job at SpaceX?

A private-sector role in technology (software engineering) listed 112 days ago. The full description is on this page and on the employer's page.

Where is this job?

Palo Alto, CA.

How do I apply?

Use the "View this job and apply on the employer's page" button. AtiveSite does not receive applications.

How much does it pay?

The listing does not publish pay, and we could not match the title to one official occupation.

What is the cost of living there?

Median rent in Palo Alto is $3,484 a month and median household income $231,101 (ACS 2020–2024).

How old is this listing?

It was posted on 2026-07-20 (112 days ago). Jobs older than 90 days are not shown.

Are there similar jobs?

Yes: browse software engineering jobs in California.

Sources and terms

• Job data: SpaceX careers page public feed (listing dated 2026-07-20). The job disappears from this site when it disappears from the source.
• Wages and projections: BLS OEWS (May 2025) and Employment Projections 2025–35.
• City and county figures: Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024, BEA, BLS QCEW and LAUS, NASA POWER climatology; distances from Census Gazetteer coordinates.

AtiveSite is not affiliated with or endorsed by the employer or any government agency, and does not process applications. Verify every detail with the employer before acting.

Sources

• BLS OEWS (wages and employment by occupation, May 2025)
• BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
• BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
• BLS JOLTS
• BLS State and Metro Area Employment
• Census Bureau American Community Survey (via Census Reporter)
• BEA GDP by state and Regional Price Parities
• IRS 2026 tax adjustments
• U.S. Department of Labor, minimum wage by state
• Tax Foundation state income tax rates 2026
• USAJOBS
• USCIS
• U.S. Department of State, visas
• NASA POWER climatology
• GeoNames / Census Gazetteer (coordinates)