Antenna Systems & Hardware Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

16h•Onsite

About The Position

The Sensor Technologies Group has an exciting opportunity for an engineer who is motivated to make critical contributions to our nation’s defense through advanced antenna modeling, test & measurement, antenna hardware design and system integration. In this position, you will develop and apply analytical, simulation, and experimental techniques to understand and optimize the performance of advanced RF apertures and phased array systems, while also building and testing RF hardware to demonstrate new concepts.

Requirements

A Master's in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or equivalent, with a concentration in electromagnetics (EM), RF, or related fields.
3+ years of experience in antenna or RF aperture modeling, test, and measurement for radar, EW, or communication systems.
Experience with commercial computational EM software packages such as HFSS, FEKO, CST, ADS, or equivalent.
Hands-on experience developing or integrating antenna and RF hardware (e.g., RF front ends, feed networks, up/down converters, LNAs, PAs) and basic RF prototyping and debug.
Strong MATLAB or Python skills for data processing, visualization, automation, and development of custom analysis tools.
Ability to travel up to 10% of the time, as needed, for field tests, range measurements, or sponsor engagements.
An Active Secret Clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

A Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or equivalent
Experience with advanced antenna measurement techniques (e.g., near-field to far-field transformations, compact range measurements, array calibration, polarization purity characterization).
Experience with RF PCB design tools and techniques and the rapid prototyping of RF hardware (e.g., quick-turn boards, evaluation boards, or custom front-end modules).
Experience with RF lab equipment such as vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, arbitrary waveform generators, oscilloscopes, and power meters.
Experience planning and executing antenna or RF aperture measurements in anechoic chambers or other antenna test facilities, and interpreting measured pattern and S parameter data.
An Active Top Secret Clearance

Responsibilities

Develop and apply antenna and RF aperture modeling and simulation tools (e.g., full-wave EM solvers, array analysis codes, custom MATLAB/Python tools) to design, analyze, and trade antenna and array performance across a variety of operational scenarios.
Plan, execute, and analyze antenna and RF aperture measurements in laboratory, chamber, and field test environments, including radiation pattern measurements, gain and efficiency, impedance, polarization characteristics, and array calibration.
Lead the rapid prototyping, integration, and debug of antenna systems, including RF front ends, feed networks, and integration of antennas with RF electronics and software-defined radios. Use RF lab equipment and automated test scripts to quickly assess and iterate on designs.
Collaborate closely with antenna designers, RF hardware engineers, and systems engineers to translate modeling, measurement, and prototyping results into system-level recommendations and design updates, and document and present findings in internal reports and technical briefings to sponsors.