Principal RF Antenna Engineer

TL;DR

Principal RF Antenna Engineer (Spacecraft RF): Lead research, design, and procurement of antenna systems with an accent on qualifying RF hardware through environmental testing including vibration, shock, thermal, and TVAC. Focus on designing and validating RF/microwave components from UHF through Ka band, integrating antennas, amplifiers, filters, and converters into spacecraft systems.

Location: Los Angeles, CA. Must be a U.S. Person per ITAR (U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or protected individuals)

Salary: $200,000 - $270,000 + equity

Company

Building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown for missions from LEO to deep space.

What you will do

• Lead research, design, and procurement of antenna systems for spacecraft.
• Qualify RF and antenna hardware through environmental testing (vibration, shock, thermal, TVAC).
• Design and validate RF/microwave hardware from UHF to Ka band, including antennas, LNAs, PAs, filters, and converters.
• Execute development and production tests to meet customer needs.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to integrate designs into spacecraft systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, aerospace engineering, or related STEM field
• 8+ years in microwave, RF, or antenna engineering
• Experience with RF test equipment (VNA, spectrum analyzer).
• Experience with anechoic chambers and antenna measurement (near-field scanners).
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced startup environment.
• Must be U.S. Person per ITAR export regulations

Nice to have

• Master’s or Ph.D. in antenna design/analysis.
• Experience with space environmental testing (thermal, vibration, TVAC, radiation, EMI/EMC).
• RF systems testing (antenna characterization, insertion loss).
• Antenna/EM modeling (Ansys HFSS, Altair FEKO).
• Software-defined radio hardware (high-speed converters, clock trees).

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-paced, high-velocity startup atmosphere.
• Comprehensive benefits: PTO, medical/dental/vision, life insurance, paid parental leave.
• Equity in the company.
• Team of multidisciplinary engineers prototyping cutting-edge systems.