RF Team Lead - Ground Segment

Location: Auckland, New Zealand. For the New Zealand office, nationality checks are required before an employment offer; eligibility to access ITAR-regulated equipment and data is required.

Company

hirify.global is an aerospace company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems for space missions and communications.

What you will do

• Set direction, coach performance, and build capability within a team responsible for critical RF infrastructure.
• Own ground station systems as the subject-matter expert and product owner, covering RF performance, network architecture, modems, and mission interfaces.
• Drive the development, commissioning, and upgrades of ground stations and global networks.
• Partner with SpaceOps to prepare missions, support operations, and maintain mission readiness.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, program teams, and external ground station providers on end-to-end solutions.
• Contribute to strategic projects, roadmap new capabilities, and support business development with RF expertise.

Requirements

• Proven RF leadership experience and the ability to mentor teams while delivering under high-pressure timelines.
• Strong RF design fundamentals, including link budgets, cascaded analysis, and modulation and coding.
• Experience with RF test and verification using VNAs, spectrum analysers, and system-level testing.
• Systems engineering experience covering requirements, validation, and documentation.
• Knowledge of IP networking and real-world RF system deployment.
• For the New Zealand office, eligibility to access ITAR-regulated equipment and data is required.

Nice to have

• Python or LabVIEW for test automation.
• Networking certifications such as CCNA.
• Familiarity with CCSDS standards or frequency licensing.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on systems that directly support real space missions.
• Lead a team with meaningful ownership and autonomy.
• Work in a fast-paced environment focused on innovation, teamwork, and delivery.
• Tackle complex, high-impact engineering challenges under tight deadlines.