Director of Engineering, Electrical & RF Systems

RED CAT HOLDINGS•Torrance, CA

23h•$176,000 - $198,000•Onsite

About The Position

FlightWave (a subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings) is seeking a Director of Electrical & RF Systems Engineering to lead the architecture, execution, and scaling of electrical and radio systems across our UAS platforms. This role owns the full hardware stack—from power systems, sensors, and embedded electronics to RF link performance and system-level integration. You will lead a multidisciplinary EE team while building a new RF systems capability focused on radio integration, link reliability, EMI/EMC performance, and real-world range optimization. This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll set technical direction, review designs, get into the lab when needed, and build a team that delivers reliable, production-ready systems at speed.

Requirements

BS/MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field
10+ years of experience in electrical engineering for embedded or electromechanical systems
5+ years of technical leadership or management experience
Strong fundamentals across power electronics, PCB design, embedded systems, and system integration
Demonstrated experience with RF systems (radios, antennas, link performance, or wireless systems)
Experience bringing hardware from prototype through production
Comfortable operating at both system level and hands-on technical depth

Nice To Haves

Tactical or mesh networking radios (e.g., Doodle Labs, Silvus)
UAS, robotics, aerospace, or defense systems
EMI/EMC compliance and certification workflows (FCC, MIL-STD, DO-160)
Antenna design, tuning, and measurement (gain patterns, polarization, MIMO)
High-power battery systems and BMS design
Field testing in complex RF environments

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Org Build-Out Lead the Electrical Engineering team through the existing EE manager
Build and scale RF systems integration and test capability (new hires)
Set a high bar for technical rigor, ownership, and execution speed
Develop a culture of clear ownership, strong documentation, and high-quality output
Electrical & System Architecture Own electrical architecture across all platforms: power, compute, sensing, actuation, and interconnects
Lead design and integration of battery systems, BMS, power distribution, and PI performance
Set and enforce best practices for schematic design, PCB layout, bring-up, and validation
Ensure systems meet performance, reliability, and manufacturability targets from prototype through production
RF Systems & Link Performance Own end-to-end RF system performance across air and ground systems (0.9–6 GHz and beyond)
Lead integration of tactical radios (e.g., Doodle Labs, Silvus) into complete systems
Drive link budgets, antenna selection/placement, and real-world range optimization
Optimize performance across varied and contested RF environments (urban, rural, high-interference)
Lead antenna characterization, OTA testing, and field validation campaigns
Drive coexistence strategies across onboard radios, payloads, and electronics
EMI/EMC & Compliance Own EMI/EMC performance from design through validation and certification
Lead pre-compliance testing and debug (radiated/conducted emissions, susceptibility, ESD)
Ensure compliance with FCC Part 15 and relevant military/industry standards
Establish design-for-compliance practices across the team
Validation, Test & Field Performance Define and drive electrical and RF validation strategies (DVT, HALT, environmental, field testing)
Build and scale RF and electrical test capabilities (lab + field)
Ensure tight feedback loops between lab data and real-world system performance
Partner with flight test to validate full-system behavior under operational conditions
Cross-Functional Execution Drive system-level trade-offs across electrical, RF, mechanical, and software domains
Partner with Manufacturing on DFM/DFT and production readiness
Support supplier selection, integration, and issue resolution
Ensure electrical and RF considerations are embedded early in product decisions