Staff RF Systems Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Long Beach, California, United States

Salary: $175,000–$263,000 USD per year

Company

hirify.global develops rockets, including the Terran R launch vehicle, to deliver customer payloads to orbit.

What you will do

• Own Terran R vehicle RF systems as a senior technical generalist and lead system-level trades and analyses for the overall RF architecture.
• Develop and maintain end-to-end link budgets for telemetry, command, and video across all flight phases, and define the vehicle RF frequency plan.
• Lead antenna placement and coverage trades using installed-pattern simulation and trajectory-driven analysis.
• Support radio and RF hardware development through requirements generation, design reviews, integrated RF testing, and anomaly investigations.
• Set RF team analysis standards and mentor junior RF engineers toward independent ownership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of RF systems engineering experience on launch vehicles, spacecraft, missiles, or comparable flight systems, including taking flight RF hardware such as antennas, harnessing, or radios from design through qualification.
• Strong command of RF system fundamentals, including link budgets, antenna theory, interference, and EMI/EMC requirements such as MIL-STD-461/464.
• Proven ability to lead technical work across disciplines and mentor other engineers.
• Hands-on experience with spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, signal generators, and EMI receivers.
• Proficiency with full-wave electromagnetic simulation tools such as HFSS, FEKO, or CST, and with Python or MATLAB for analysis and automation.

Nice to have

• Experience with launch range RF interfaces and validating high-dynamics link performance.
• Experience with telemetry standards such as IRIG-106.
• Familiarity with spectrum management and frequency authorization processes, including NTIA and FCC.
• Experience with STK or other trajectory-based coverage analysis tools.
• Experience managing RF hardware suppliers through qualification and production.

Culture & Benefits

• Autonomy, ownership, and cross-functional collaboration across propulsion, manufacturing, software, avionics, and corporate functions.
• Competitive salary and equity.
• Generous paid time off and sick leave, plus parental leave.
• Annual learning and development stipend.
• Commitment to transparency, fairness, and equal employment opportunity.