RF Hardware Engineer 3/4

Overview

Our client, a leading aerospace and defense technology organization, is seeking a Principal or Senior Principal RF Hardware Engineer to support advanced radar and RF sensing systems. This individual will contribute as a technical lead or key team member within a hardware and RF engineering organization responsible for the integration, testing, analysis, and production support of complex RF subsystems. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in RF hardware, microwave systems, phased array technologies, and test engineering, with the ability to troubleshoot, analyze, and validate hardware performance throughout the product lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Support RF hardware subsystem integration, test, analysis, and troubleshooting activities.
• Contribute as a hardware or RF technical lead, or support multidisciplinary hardware engineering teams.
• Analyze RF subsystem performance and ensure compliance with system requirements.
• Support laboratory, manufacturing, qualification, and production test activities.
• Perform data analysis and modeling using tools such as MATLAB and Python.
• Troubleshoot RF hardware and electronic assemblies to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Review and evaluate subsystem performance metrics including: Gain, Effective Radiated Power (ERP), Sensitivity, Third Order Intercept (TOI), Noise Figure, and RF path and subsystem health metrics.
• Work within hardware test environments including: Component and subsystem test stations, Automated test equipment (ATE), and Near-field, far-field, compact range, and spherical near-field antenna test facilities.
• Support Acceptance Test Procedures (ATP) and qualification testing activities including: Test readiness reviews, Environmental screening, Data reviews, and Approval and release processes.
• Participate in hardware development lifecycle reviews including: Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR), Detailed Design Reviews (DDR), and Critical Design Reviews (CDR).
• Develop and review engineering documentation including: Technical specifications, Interface control documents, Hardware drawings, and Test procedures and reports.
• Support engineering investigations and quality review processes related to hardware anomalies and failures.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance when appropriate.

Required Qualifications - Principal RF Hardware Engineer

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, RF Engineering, Microwave Engineering, or a related technical discipline and 5+ years of relevant experience, or: Master's degree with 3+ years of experience, or additional years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
• Active U.S. Secret Security Clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Experience testing and troubleshooting RF hardware in laboratory, manufacturing, or production environments.
• Working knowledge of RF and microwave systems and hardware.
• Experience analyzing hardware performance and resolving technical issues.
• Ability to apply engineering principles to solve increasingly complex RF design and test challenges.

Required Qualifications - Senior Principal RF Hardware Engineer

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, RF Engineering, Microwave Engineering, or a related technical discipline and 8+ years of relevant experience, or: Master's degree with 6+ years of experience, or additional years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
• Active U.S. Secret Security Clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Extensive experience testing and troubleshooting RF hardware and subsystems.
• Strong understanding of electrical engineering principles, RF test methods, and associated tools.
• Proven ability to diagnose and resolve complex RF/microwave hardware issues.
• Experience working in manufacturing, integration, or production environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active DoD Secret Clearance or higher.
• Experience designing, integrating, testing, or troubleshooting RF hardware and subsystems.
• Ability to troubleshoot electronic assemblies to the component level.
• Experience using RF lab equipment, including: Spectrum analyzers, Signal generators, Oscilloscopes, and Network analyzers.
• Experience with phased array, radar, or advanced RF sensing technologies.
• Hands-on experience with RF test systems and specialized RF test equipment.
• Experience troubleshooting hardware/software integration issues.
• Experience developing or utilizing software to control hardware test equipment.
• Experience with automated test scripting, data analysis, and signal processing.
• Experience leading or mentoring RF and hardware engineering teams.

Preferred Technical Skills

• Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar systems
• Phased array antenna technologies
• Receiver/exciter hardware
• RF test and measurement
• Data analysis using MATLAB and Python
• Hardware integration and verification
• Environmental and qualification testing
• Manufacturing test support
• Root cause and failure analysis