Junior RF Systems Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Auckland, New Zealand; based in the Auckland Production Complex. Domestic and international travel may be required. New Zealand roles require eligibility to access equipment and data regulated by U.S. ITAR, with nationality checks conducted before employment.

Company

hirify.global is an end-to-end space company developing rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems for space missions.

What you will do

• Develop qualification and acceptance test plans for RF components and systems.
• Perform RF testing and produce clear reports documenting results.
• Design and build test rigs, including hardware-in-the-loop equipment, for accurate and repeatable testing.
• Develop test methods and automation software for instrument control, measurement capture, data processing, and results presentation.
• Document test rigs, operating procedures, and work instructions for production and vehicle assembly teams.
• Support production integration, engineering changes, trade studies, and collaboration with Analysis, Vehicle Design, and Avionics teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Electronic or Communications Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Solid understanding of RF fundamentals, including transmission lines, impedance matching, S-parameters, link budgets, noise, and power measurements.
• Hands-on experience with RF test equipment such as vector network analysers, spectrum analysers, signal generators, oscilloscopes, and power meters.
• Programming experience in Python or a similar language, preferably for instrument control or data analysis.
• Ability to write clear test plans, procedures, reports, and other technical documentation.
• For the New Zealand role, eligibility to access ITAR-regulated equipment and data is required; nationality checks will be conducted before an offer.

Nice to have

• Experience in RF testing, qualification, production, aerospace, defence, telecommunications, or another regulated industry.
• Knowledge of environmental and qualification testing, including vibration, shock, thermal, or thermal-vacuum testing, and relevant standards.
• Knowledge of GNSS, telemetry, or command-and-control radio systems.
• Experience with SCPI, VISA, PyVISA, LabVIEW, hardware-in-the-loop setups, RF components, RF simulation, or PCB design tools.
• Familiarity with measurement uncertainty, calibration, metrology, Git, or Jira.

Culture & Benefits

• Hands-on work with real flight hardware from the beginning.
• Guidance and review from experienced RF systems engineers.
• Fast-paced environment with tight deadlines and practical RF test development.
• Collaborative culture focused on teamwork, ownership, technical rigor, and supporting production needs.