Staff RF Engineer (Aerospace & Defense)

TL;DR

Staff RF Engineer (Aerospace & Defense): Lead the design, analysis, integration, and verification of high-reliability RF and microwave electronics for aerospace and defense applications with an accent on RF circuit boards, MMIC-based designs, packaging constraints, and test environments. Focus on architecture development, component trade studies, simulations using HFSS/ADS/AWR, PCB layout, RF testing, and troubleshooting complex performance issues across the full product lifecycle.

Location: On-site in Hawthorne, California, United States. Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance required.

Salary: $150k-210k

Company

hirify.global redefines modern defense with Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™) empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams.

What you will do

• Lead design, analysis, prototyping, and tuning of RF circuit boards with MMICs including LNAs, power amplifiers, baluns, filters, mixers, and bias/matching networks
• Perform architecture development and component trade studies to meet system-level RF performance
• Develop schematics, layouts, and documentation per aerospace standards
• Conduct linear, nonlinear, and electromagnetic simulations using HFSS, ADS, AWR
• Support PCB layout, RF stack-up, impedance control, grounding, shielding
• Plan and execute RF testing, integration, troubleshooting at board/module/subsystem levels
• Collaborate with systems, power, digital, mechanical, and software engineers
• Contribute from development through production, including failure analysis and field support

Requirements

• Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering with 8+ years RF engineering experience
• Experience developing RF hardware for aerospace, defense, avionics, radar, EW, communications, or space systems
• Strong RF fundamentals: gain, noise figure, linearity, phase noise, stability, impedance matching
• Hands-on with RF test equipment: VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters
• Ability to analyze, troubleshoot, resolve complex RF issues
• Ability to obtain and maintain U.S. security clearance

Nice to have

• Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in EE, Systems Engineering, Physics, or related
• Power amplifier design, analysis, integration
• EMI/EMC for RF systems and aerospace standards
• Mixed-signal or RF/digital interfaces
• Manufacturing considerations, tolerance analysis
• RF PCB layout best practices, DFM
• DO-160, MIL-STD-461 standards
• RF antenna design principles

Culture & Benefits

• Health benefits: medical, dental, vision 100% company-paid
• 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, annual bonuses
• 250 employees across global offices