Principal Antenna Engineer

About the role

Meridian is building a fundamentally new model for sovereign space infrastructure—delivering complete, owned Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations that provide governments and commercial operators with full control, assured access, and sovereign communications capability at a fraction of the cost of developing these systems independently. Backed by leading venture capital investors and engineering partners, we are rapidly scaling the design, production, and deployment of the satellites, ground systems, and network infrastructure that will power Meridian's next-generation constellations. Joining Meridian means working at the forefront of one of the world's most ambitious space programs underway today - designing and building constellations that will put sovereign connectivity within reach of nations and operators worldwide. You'll be part of a close-knit, collaborative team that thrives in a fast-paced, innovative environment, where your work directly advances the design, development, and deployment of satellite constellations that governments and enterprises around the world will depend on for secure, resilient, and sovereign connectivity.

Responsibilities

• Research novel antenna technologies for LEO satellite communications
• Perform simulation, design, optimization, testing, and calibration
• Lead rapid deployment of these technologies in an operational satellite constellation

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience with a Bachelor’s, or a Master’s degree in an engineering discipline with an emphasis in electromagnetic theory and/or microwave circuits
• Good, intuitive understanding of electromagnetics and optics in microwave systems (refraction, diffraction, Huygen’s principle, etc.)
• Experience in designing electronically scanned antennas
• Experience in the design of patches, metasurfaces, horns, waveguides or similar compact antennas
• Expertise in electromagnetic simulation tools like HFSS, CST, or FEKO
• Application of system simulation tools like Python or MATLAB
• Familiarity with range testing and ability to operate relevant test equipment
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills and ability to work in a team
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident (“green card holder”) or a protected individual as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15) or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State

Qualifications

• Experience developing reflectarray or transmitarray antennas
• Experience developing shaped reflector antennas
• Experience designing antennas for PCB manufacturability
• Broader experience of RF/microwave systems (particularly 10.7 GHz – 51.4 GHz)
• Experience with passive RF component characterization
• Experience with near field antenna range testing
• Experience with advanced beamforming methods
• Experience using automation to conduct exploratory RF design analysis
• Experience with space-qualified systems