Principal RF/Electrical Engineer

Job Summary

Core Responsibilities

• The RF/Electrical Engineer will be responsible for straddling engineering work in the domains of RF, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering.
• Support design of satellite communications systems hardware (RF-Front-End, LNA, SSPA, PLLs, Filters, etc.) and software design and development
• Support selection and design of small satellite antenna technologies
• Develop link budget analyses, simulations, traffic/capacity analysis, RF system design and dimensioning, coverage and frequency planning, etc.
• Support satellite communications systems integration, testing, delivery to launch and satellite bus partners/vendors.
• Design and plan satellite communications systems testing configurations on the ground when testing satellite communications systems performance both in-lab and in-orbit.
• Interface with Systems Engineering team to inform constellation/network architecture and design based on RF communications systems performance.
• Bench level mechatronics work including testing, integration, assembly, programming and prototyping of electronics hardware and software.
• Some software-based Systems Engineering analysis.
• Support developing and maintaining technical documentation for hardware/software design and development.
• Must be able to work independently and in a team environment.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree (or better) in RF or Electrical Engineering.
• 15+ years of experience working on projects developing space payload hardware and software (preferably communications systems).
• Thorough understanding of RF link budget, RF active and passive components.
• Experience in designing wireless communication systems.
• Experience in basic principles of antenna theory.
• Hands-on experience from concept to production with RF Front End design, SDRs, antennas, LNA, SSPA, filters, couplers, RF switches, PLLs, antennas, DC-DC converters, microcontroller, FPGA is highly desired.
• Hands-on experience with testing, troubleshooting, and debugging RF systems.
• Programming Proficiency in one or more programming languages is highly desired (e.g., C++, C, Python, MATLAB, etc.)
• Experience working with Linux based systems.
• Proficiency with electrical design software, such as Altium Designer, ADS, and SolidWorks are highly desired.
• Proficiency with test equipment including VNAs, protocol signal generators, and spectrum analyzers.
• Proficiency with schematic capture and PCB layout using Altium.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of RF air interfaces and their use of multiple access schemes such as TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, CDMA, etc. is highly desired.
• Hands-on experience with integrating hardware and software systems is desired.
• Must be good with computers. Fluent in Linux, Windows, and Mac OSX; Very capable with Microsoft Office (Excel, Project, PowerPoint, Word).
• Hands-on experience with programming microcontrollers, FPGAs and SDRs is desired.
• Knowledge of some communications/networking protocols (for instance: IP, TCP/IP, DVB-S/S2/S2X, CCSDS, LoRA, TDMA, CDMA, FDMA, GSE Encapsulation, ZeroMQ, VXLAN tunneling, DHCP, Tailscale, Ethernet, etc.)

ITAR Requirements

• To comply with U.S. Government export control regulations (ITAR), applicants must be one of the following: (i) a U.S. citizen or national, (ii) a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) a refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) an asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158. Individuals who do not meet these criteria must be eligible to obtain the necessary authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. For more information, please refer to the ITAR guidelines.
• Learn about ITAR here.

Job Location

• Chantilly, VA.