Senior/Principal Radar Signal Processing Engineer (SAR Focus), Onsite

About the role

Join Sandia's Advanced RF Applications team (Department 5376) as a Radar Signal Processing Engineer and contribute to the development of advanced signal detection, estimation, and processing algorithms for next-generation RF sensing, tagging, tracking, and locating systems. Our team works closely with national security sponsors across the intelligence community, special operations forces, and defense organizations to address both urgent operational needs and long-term technical challenges.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement advanced digital signal processing algorithms
• Research RF sensing applications and characterize signals of interest
• Support the conceptualization, design, and development of RF systems
• Develop and evaluate signal processing approaches using modeling, simulation, laboratory experimentation, and field testing
• Analyze experimental and operational data to characterize, validate, and improve system performance
• Collaborate with hardware, software, and systems engineering teams to transition new capabilities into deployed systems
• Interact with customers, stakeholders, and mission sponsors to understand requirements and guide technical solutions

Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE Q clearance and SCI clearance, which may require a polygraph.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Laboratory skills and knowledge of RF and digital test equipment.
• Knowledge of RF, Digital Communications, Electronic Warfare, and Cyber Security systems and principles.
• Ability to work successfully in a dynamic, interdisciplinary, teaming environment.

Skills

• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image formation, image processing, image exploitation, and analysis.
• Development and implementation of signal processing, image processing, and data exploitation algorithms.
• Feature extraction, target detection, classification, change detection, or related analytic techniques.
• Development and evaluation of signal processing approaches using modeling, simulation, laboratory experimentation, and field testing.
• Analysis of experimental and operational data to characterize, validate, and improve system performance.
• Collaboration with hardware, software, and systems engineering teams to transition new capabilities into deployed systems.
• Interaction with customers, stakeholders, and mission sponsors to understand requirements and guide technical solutions.

Benefits

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many jobs including 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance

Pay

The salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential. The salary range is $117,500 - $235,700.

Schedule

This position entails working in a collaborative electronics laboratory environment, utilizing iterative and agile methods to develop capabilities. Additionally, it requires occasional domestic travel.