Senior RF Systems Engineer Seen this week

Northwood Space · Torrance, CA · RF & Comms · first seen 2026-07-16

Senior RF Systems Engineer

As a Senior RF Systems Engineer, you will architect, define, and evaluate advanced RF communication systems supporting satellite and ground network products. This role sits at the intersection of customer requirements, product development, and multi-disciplinary engineering, translating mission needs into scalable, high-performance RF architectures and hardware specifications.

You will guide communication products through the entire development lifecycle, bridging cutting-edge technology and real-world deployment. Collaborating closely with electrical, software, and manufacturing teams, you will act as a key technical liaison for customers, ensuring our products deliver robust link performance, regulatory compliance, and seamless system integration at a global scale.

Responsibilities

System Architecture & Product Definition: Translate customer requirements and mission needs into top-level RF system architectures, hardware specifications, and product features.
Customer Engagement: Serve as a primary technical interface for customers, guiding them through system integration, conducting design reviews, and matching product capabilities to their operational needs.
Link & System Modeling: Develop and maintain end-to-end communication system models, detailed link budgets, and RF lineup analyses including cascaded noise figure, linearity, and phase noise to optimize product performance.
Product Development Lifecycle: Drive RF systems from initial concept and prototyping through regulatory compliance testing, manufacturing scale-up, and field deployment.
Verification & Validation: Lead integrated system-level testing, validating physical-layer and product-level metrics such as EIRP, G/T, EVM, BER, and throughput under real-world conditions.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with RF design, DSP, embedded software, and product management teams to guide feature implementation and resolve complex system-level anomalies.
Regulatory & Compliance Support: Assist in securing regulatory approvals (ITU, FCC, etc.) by analyzing spectral compliance, co-existence, and emissions profiles.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
5+ years of experience in RF systems engineering, communication system architecture, or RF product development.
Deep understanding of RF front-end architectures, transceiver design, and digital communication theory including modulation schemes, coding, and physical layer protocols.
Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or similar scripting languages for modeling RF lineups, link budgets, and data analysis.
Hands-on experience with RF laboratory test equipment, including spectrum analyzers, vector network analyzers, and vector signal generators/analyzers.

Preferred Qualifications

Proven track record in a technical sales, applications engineering, or systems engineering role interfacing directly with external customers or partners.
Experience bringing commercial RF or wireless communication hardware products from concept through high-volume production.
Strong expertise in complex link budget modeling, propagation impairment analysis, and interference mitigation.
Deep familiarity with physical-layer performance optimization, including EVM, BER, PAPR, and adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR).
Familiarity with satellite or terrestrial wireless standards such as DVB-S2X, 3GPP/5G, CCSDS, and integrated modem architectures.
Experience working with FCC/NTIA/ITU spectrum regulations and RF compliance testing standards.

Requirements

Top Secret Security Clearance required as a condition of employment. You should initiate the clearance application process promptly upon accepting this offer.
Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State to comply with ITAR regulations.

Compensation

Salary based on role level and experience:

Level 3: $150,000 - $180,000 per year
Level 4: $180,000 - $200,000 per year
Level 5: $200,000 - $230,000 per year

Compensation is determined on a case-by-case basis based on job-related skills, education, experience, and technical expertise. Benefits include equity, company stock options, discretionary performance bonuses, comprehensive medical/vision/dental coverage, flexible spending accounts, flexible time off, 10 or more paid holidays per year, retirement savings plans, and professional development opportunities.