Senior/Staff RF Geolocation Engineer

TL;DR

Senior/Staff RF Geolocation Engineer: Deriving, implementing, and validating advanced passive RF geolocation algorithms for distributed sensor networks in electromagnetic warfare products with an accent on TDOA, FDOA, and hybrid localization architectures. Focus on modeling nonidealities like phase noise and low-SNR, developing real-time software implementations, and supporting field validation in complex environments.

Location: Must work on-site 3-5 days per week in Hawthorne, CA or Washington, D.C. U.S. citizen required. Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Salary: $180,000 - $230,000

Company

Defense tech startup founded in 2022 with $1B funding, building Coherent Distributed Networks for warfighters, air operators, and border protection.

What you will do

• Design passive RF geolocation algorithms from first principles, emphasizing TDOA, FDOA, and multi-node interferometric processing.
• Develop statistical detection frameworks (Neyman-Pearson, Bayesian, CFAR) and estimation theory for robust localization in noisy environments.
• Model and simulate real-world impairments like oscillator noise, timing jitter, and sensor geometry uncertainty.
• Implement algorithms in Python, MATLAB, C++ for real-time execution on DSP/GPU architectures.
• Build simulation environments to evaluate geolocation accuracy and system tradeoffs.
• Collaborate with hardware teams on RF front-end requirements and support integration, calibration, and field testing.
• Document algorithms, performance limits, and results for stakeholders and customers. Periodic travel up to 30%.

Requirements

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics or related; 5+ years in RF signal processing, estimation, or geolocation algorithms.
• Strong foundation in statistical/time-domain signal processing, detection/estimation theory, and linear algebra.
• Experience with passive RF geolocation (TDOA, FDOA, multilateration, interferometry).
• Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, C++ for modeling, simulation, and implementation.
• Ability to handle real-world impairments and integrate with RF/SDR hardware.
• Strong communication skills.

Nice to have

• M.S./Ph.D. in relevant field; current U.S. security clearance.
• Expertise in interferometric processing, distributed sensing, or passive imaging.
• Peer-reviewed contributions to geolocation; experience with GPU/FPGA optimization.
• Full lifecycle from concept to field validation; SDR toolchains; agile tools like JIRA.
• Government/military experience.

Culture & Benefits

• 100% company-paid medical, dental, vision; 401k with 50% match up to 6% of pay, FSA, HSA, life insurance.
• Free daily lunch, no-meeting Fridays, unlimited PTO, casual dress.
• Competitive base, pre-IPO stock options, relocation assistance, upcoming annual bonuses.
• 250 employees across global offices; fast-paced, mission-driven environment.