Lead RF Engineer

Safran•City of Rochester, NY

2d•$100,000 - $160,000

About The Position

Safran Federal Systems is seeking a Lead RF Engineer to develop a next-generation receiver designed for high jamming resilience and operation in hostile environments. The engineer will rapidly iterate and test design candidates, then help mature the strongest prototype into hardened, deployable hardware. The role involves system design, component selection, schematic capture, PCB layout, simulation and modeling, and the design and implementation of tests to benchmark receiver performance. The position works closely with a cross-functional team and calls for a collaborative approach. The Lead RF Engineer will guide technical direction as project requirements and priorities are established, support ruggedization and qualification, and help validate RF test infrastructure and system-level performance. The role also includes mentoring engineers, developing internal design practices and documentation, reviewing PCB layouts, and contributing to proposals, technical reviews, and applicable government program deliverables. The position requires communication with cross-functional teams and suppliers and may involve travel up to 10% of the time. Safran Federal Systems provides resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (R-PNT) solutions for military, defense contractor, and commercial applications, including environments where GPS/GNSS is denied. The company operates as a proxy-regulated company free of Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI), and is approved to work on classified and unclassified U.S. Government projects.

Requirements

B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
At least 6 years of experience in RF and electrical hardware design and validation.
Strong knowledge of RF receiver circuit design and tuning.
Strong knowledge of RF stripline design, particularly antennas and directional couplers.
Knowledge of Doppler effects in high-velocity and high-acceleration systems.
Knowledge of techniques for establishing resilience to jamming.
Knowledge of multi-antenna receivers and MIMO.
Knowledge of automatic gain control (AGC) techniques.
Knowledge of the software-defined radio (SDR) signal chain, from the front end through demodulated bits.
Experience designing for harsh environments, including shock and vibration, wide temperature ranges, high velocity and acceleration, and radiation hardening.
Prior work in defense, aerospace, or other high-reliability hardware environments.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including building trust, working effectively with customers and clients, considering different perspectives, and making sound decisions.
Ability to remain poised under pressure and communicate effectively orally and in writing.
Willingness and ability to travel up to 10% of the time.
Ability to remain stationary for 50% of the time and occasionally move around the office to access file cabinets, office equipment, and other resources.
Collaborative attitude and willingness to work as part of a team.
Security clearance or ability to obtain one.

Nice To Haves

Background in GNSS or high-precision timing and sensing systems.

Responsibilities

Lead RF and non-RF circuit design, including schematic capture, component selection, PCB layout, and simulation and modeling as required.
Guide technical direction across projects as requirements and priorities are established, collaborating with other disciplines on system designs and requirements.
Support ruggedization and qualification efforts to advance lab-demonstrated performance toward field-ready, deployable hardware.
Support qualification and validation of key RF test infrastructure.
Mentor engineers and strengthen team capabilities in RF design, general engineering design, integration, and test.
Develop and maintain internal design practices and documentation for RF and board-level development.
Contribute to proposals, technical reviews, and applicable government program deliverables.
Communicate with cross-functional teams and suppliers and help influence decisions.
Mentor junior engineers in RF fundamentals, hardware design workflows, and debugging techniques.
Conduct PCB layout assessments and reviews for component placement, manufacturability, thermal management, and electrical performance.
Support system-level testing and validation across disciplines to ensure functionality and design margin.
Contribute to the development and refinement of internal design standards and engineering documentation.
Design and iterate receiver candidates and develop tests to evaluate and benchmark receiver performance.