Sr. RF Front-End Engineer — Phased Array Antenna & RF Front-End Electronics

What you will do:

• Own RF front-end hardware from requirements and architecture through device-level circuit design, schematic capture, PCB layout, prototype bring-up, qualification, and release. 

• Design transmit and receive chains using power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, filters, duplexers, switches, couplers, attenuators, mixers, synthesizers, transceivers, phase shifters, beamformer devices, and RF matching networks. 

• Perform RF cascade analyses and architectural trade studies covering gain, noise figure, sensitivity, linearity, P1dB, IP3, dynamic range, EIRP, efficiency, stability, spurious performance, and link margin, including simultaneous transmit-and-receive architectures using frequency-division duplexing. 

• Define component specifications and select parts based on RF performance, power consumption, thermal behavior, size, manufacturability, availability, cost, reliability, and suitability for the space environment. 

• Design and review controlled-impedance transmission lines, grounding, shielding, bias networks, RF PCB stackups, and critical component placement and routing. 

• Develop RF and mixed-signal boards incorporating ADCs, DACs, modulation, and demodulation where digitized RF interfaces are required. 

• Contribute to RF signal-distribution architectures that transport RF signals over fiber-optic links using analog RF-photonic or digitized approaches. 

• Integrate RF electronics with phased-array antenna elements, beamforming networks, digital and baseband electronics, firmware, power systems, thermal systems, and mechanical structures. 

• Develop and execute amplitude and phase calibration methods for phased-array RF channels, accounting for channel variation, temperature effects, mutual coupling, and calibration stability. 

• Plan and conduct RF characterization using VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters, noise-figure equipment, oscilloscopes, and near-field or far-field antenna ranges. 

• Support environmental qualification of spaceflight hardware, including thermal-vacuum, vibration, and radiation testing. 

• Correlate simulation results with measurements, identify the root causes of performance discrepancies, and drive corrective actions through data-driven troubleshooting. 

• Document requirements, analyses, design decisions, test procedures, results, and technical risks, and present clear recommendations at design reviews. 

• Collaborate with antenna, RF systems, digital, firmware, mechanical, thermal, manufacturing, test, regulatory, and program teams to close requirements and interfaces. 

• Mentor engineers and technicians and help establish repeatable RF design, calibration, qualification, and verification practices. 

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, or a related field, with 8+ years of relevant experience; or a Master's degree with 6+ years; or a Ph.D. with 4+ years. 

• Demonstrated hands-on ownership of RF front-end hardware from design and analysis through prototype fabrication, bring-up, and verification. 

• Strong understanding of RF fundamentals, including S-parameters, impedance matching, transmission lines, noise figure, gain compression, intermodulation, stability, isolation, filtering, and RF power measurement. 

• Experience designing or integrating RF electronics for phased arrays, beamforming systems, radar, wireless communications, satellite communications, or a comparably complex multi-channel RF system. 

• Experience with RF circuit simulation tools such as Keysight ADS, Cadence AWR, or equivalent, and with schematic capture and PCB layout review tools. 

• Hands-on experience operating RF laboratory equipment and independently troubleshooting complex RF hardware. 

• Ability to communicate technical issues clearly, work across disciplines, and make data-driven decisions under schedule constraints. 

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with active phased arrays, element-level or subarray RF chains, beamformer ICs, and amplitude/phase calibration. 

• Experience with electromagnetic and system tools such as Ansys HFSS, CST Studio Suite, Altair FEKO, MATLAB, Python, or Keysight SystemVue. 

• Experience with UHF or other satellite communication bands, circular polarization, link budgets, antenna gain/EIRP, scan loss, sidelobes, grating lobes, and mutual coupling. 

• Experience designing RF hardware for space, aerospace, defense, automotive, or another high-reliability environment. 

• Knowledge of environmental qualification, EMC/EMI, radiation effects, vibration, thermal-vacuum considerations, and design for test and manufacturing. 

• Experience working with suppliers, contract manufacturers, and cross-site engineering teams. 

• Experience with RF-photonic signal distribution. 

• Experience with mixed-signal RF interfaces (ADC/DAC, modulators/demodulators, SDR). 

• Familiarity with frequency-division duplex or other full-duplex RF front-end architectures. 

• Python for RF test automation and data analysis. 

Additional Requirements

This is a fast-paced, high-impact environment - flexibility to occasionally work extended hours or weekends during critical periods is expected.