RF System & Electrical Engineer
We are looking for a hands-on, jack-of-all-trades RF System Engineer who can bridge RF system engineering and ground/industrial electrical systems.
You will work closely with multi-disciplinary engineering teams and technicians to specify, integrate, test, and document complete end-to-end systems—from RF front ends and interconnects to power, control, and networking.
Responsibilities
• Architect, specify, and integrate electrical and RF subsystems into a cohesive, deployable system.
• Drive RF system engineering using primarily COTS components: define requirements, evaluate vendor options, select parts, and coordinate procurement.
• Develop and maintain link budgets for signals of interest, incorporating line-of-sight constraints, geometry, antenna patterns, propagation effects, and system margins.
• Define RF signal chains and their interconnections, including practical use of attenuators, terminators, filters, couplers, circulators, mixers, switches, LNAs/LNBs, splitters/diplexers, oscillators, and RF switching.
• Maintain working knowledge of common antenna families (e.g., spiral, horn, dipole) and their real-world implications on coverage, polarization, pointing tolerance, and link margin.
• Lead ground/field electrical design with emphasis on safe, robust power wiring: AWG sizing, current capacity, temperature derating, protection devices, safety practices, and lightning protection concepts.
• Design and review grounding and bonding strategies for both DC power systems and RF systems; ensure low-impedance returns, appropriate shielding practices, and minimization of ground loops and apply strong EMI/EMC intuition during architecture and wiring/harness decisions; identify and mitigate noise coupling paths early in the design.
• Own industrial control and digital communications integration: Modbus and CAN bus, plus I2C, SPI, UART, RS-232/RS-485/RS-422, and practical interfacing considerations (termination, isolation, common-mode, grounding, cabling) and apply basic signal integrity and cable practices
• Support Ethernet/networked system integration at a practical level (physical layer basics, cabling, connectors, shielding, EMI considerations, and deployment realities).
• Select and integrate rugged interconnects: automotive and military-grade connectors (sealing, strain relief, pin density, current rating, shielding/backshells, and maintainability).
• Apply environmental requirements (including MIL-STD-810 concepts) to electrical design decisions affecting wiring, connectors, enclosures, and component selection.
• Build bench setups and hardware-in-the-loop rigs; prototype, integrate, assemble, and troubleshoot systems hands-on.
• Validate and troubleshoot using lab instrumentation (VNA, oscilloscope, signal generators, multimeters, power meters, DC supplies, etc.).
• Create and maintain system documentation: block diagrams, wiring diagrams, RF/DC/serial/Ethernet schematics, ICD/IDD-style interfaces, and test/verification procedures.
• Provide engineering support to technicians and cross-functional teams during integration, deployment, and operations; communicate clearly across engineering disciplines.
Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.
• 3+ years of relevant industry experience in roles involving RF/electrical system integration, ground infrastructure, industrial controls, or adjacent complex hardware systems.
• Strong fundamentals in electronics, system integration, and first-principles engineering problem solving.
• Demonstrated hands-on capability: comfortable building, wiring, reworking, and debugging real hardware in a lab/field environment.
• Solid understanding of RF system concepts and practical component behavior (noise figure/noise temperature, dynamic range/SFDR, nonlinearity/IP3, filtering, gain distribution).
• Ability to derive and defend link budgets, including geometry/LoS constraints and antenna pattern implications on margin.
• Practical familiarity with RF components and interconnects, including connectors, cables, adapters, and measurement considerations.
• Strong grounding/bonding intuition for both DC and RF systems; familiarity with lightning protection concepts and site grounding considerations.
• Experience with power wiring and harnessing fundamentals: conductor sizing, insulation/derating concepts, protection, and safe layout practices.
• Working knowledge of industrial and embedded communications: Modbus, CAN, I2C, SPI, UART, RS-232/RS-485/RS-422; comfortable diagnosing bus-level issues.
• Familiarity with Ethernet fundamentals and physical integration considerations.
• Comfortable reading and producing clear schematics, wiring diagrams, and interface documentation; ability to follow manuals and procedures precisely.
• Python (or similar) for automation, test scripting, data analysis, or light embedded/controls tasks.
• Proficiency with lab test equipment: VNA and oscilloscope required; familiarity with signal generators, multimeters, power supplies, and power meters.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with engineers across disciplines and with technicians; strong communication and documentation habits.
Preferred Qualifications
• Strong familiarity with RF/microwave COTS vendor ecosystems and selection tradeoffs (performance, availability, environmental suitability, integration risk).
• Working knowledge of EMI/EMC practices and debugging methodology (coupling paths, shielding, filtering, grounding, cable routing).
• Some exposure to MIL-STD documents (e.g., MIL-STD-810) and how environmental requirements flow into connector/harness/mechanical/electrical decisions.
• Experience with Visio and electrical CAD tools (Autodesk, Altium, or equivalent) for schematics/wiring/harness documentation.
• Basic-to-intermediate soldering and rework skills.
• Understanding of Software Defined Radio (SDR) architectures and workflows (configuration, RF bring-up, calibration, recording/streaming, and verification) is a plus.
• Exposure to software-defined defense concepts (e.g., modular EW/ELINT-oriented RF chains, adaptable waveforms, rapid reconfiguration, and system-level tradeoffs) is a plus.
Benefits:
• Competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance and fuel support.
• Continued support for candidates currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program.
• Opportunities for continuous professional growth and skill development.
• Engage in a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Enjoy a positive and enriching work environment, situated in a desirable location.
