Manager, RF Test Engineering

AeroVironment•Albuquerque, NM

About The Position

AeroVironment is seeking an experienced RF Test Engineering Manager to lead RF test engineering activities supporting development, integration, verification, qualification, transition to production, and ongoing production support for advanced RF and electronic systems. The role provides technical leadership and personnel management for a geographically distributed team of RF test engineers and technicians in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Germantown, Maryland. The manager leads test strategy and execution, automated test solution development, complex system troubleshooting, laboratory infrastructure, and efforts to ensure product performance and compliance with technical requirements. The position works across multidisciplinary engineering teams and multiple programs to establish effective test methodologies, maintain test infrastructure, and improve test efficiency, repeatability, and quality. The role also supports program planning, production transition, and standardized test engineering practices across both locations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, RF Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
Typically 8 or more years of relevant engineering experience, including demonstrated technical leadership or personnel management responsibilities.
Strong knowledge of RF and microwave engineering principles, including signal generation and analysis, gain, noise figure, sensitivity, linearity, phase noise, impedance matching, S-parameters, modulation, and RF system performance characterization.
Hands-on experience with RF test equipment such as vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, vector signal analyzers, oscilloscopes, power meters, and noise figure analyzers.
Experience developing and executing RF test plans and procedures and automated test solutions; proficiency with Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or similar test automation and data analysis environments.
Experience with RF system integration, troubleshooting, verification, and validation, including interpreting schematics, block diagrams, interface specifications, requirements, and test results to diagnose complex problems.
Ability to lead technical teams, coordinate engineering resources, establish priorities, mentor personnel, and communicate effectively across disciplines, program management, and leadership, including across multiple locations.
Experience with engineering development processes, configuration management, test documentation, requirements-based verification, and structured technical reviews throughout the product development lifecycle.
Must be willing and able to obtain and maintain a security clearance if needed.
Must qualify as a U.S. person under ITAR/EAR or be eligible for an export license; some positions require current U.S. citizenship due to contract requirements.
Must be willing to work on government contracts and have the ability to obtain a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, RF Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Prior direct management of RF test engineering personnel in a multidisciplinary product development organization.
Experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams and establishing communication practices, consistent technical standards, resource coordination, and employee development across sites.
Experience testing phased-array antennas, beamforming receivers, radar, electronic warfare systems, telemetry systems, software-defined radios, or complex wireless communications equipment.
Experience with high-speed digital interfaces, FPGA-based systems, embedded software, RFSoCs, and digital signal processing as they relate to RF system integration and testing.
Experience developing scalable automated test architectures, hardware-in-the-loop systems, production test equipment, and reusable instrumentation-control, data-collection, analysis, and reporting software frameworks.
Familiarity with environmental and electromagnetic compatibility testing standards such as MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-810, or DO-160.
Experience supporting defense or aerospace programs, including formal verification and qualification testing, technical data packages, manufacturing transition, and customer-facing technical reviews.
Experience managing RF laboratory facilities, equipment budgets, calibration programs, laboratory safety, test asset configuration, and capital equipment planning.
Active Secret or higher DoD security clearance, or a clearance active within the last two years, is highly desired but not required.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, and develop RF test engineers and technicians across Albuquerque and Germantown, including assignments, mentoring, performance management, professional development, recruiting, and team culture.
Provide technical leadership for RF test engineering across programs and sites, including test strategies, plans, procedures, methodologies, and acceptance criteria.
Oversee the design, development, integration, and maintenance of automated RF test systems, including fixtures, instrumentation, software, and data acquisition and analysis tools.
Direct RF characterization, integration, troubleshooting, verification, and qualification for complex RF and microwave systems.
Collaborate with systems engineering, RF design, electrical engineering, FPGA, software, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams to ensure test coverage, requirements traceability, defect resolution, and product development success.
Coordinate laboratory operations and test infrastructure at both sites, including equipment selection, procurement, calibration, maintenance, configuration, utilization, safety, and organization.
Support design reviews, test readiness reviews, verification activities, and technical investigations; assess test results, identify performance limitations, resolve issues, and communicate findings and recommendations.
Develop and implement standardized test engineering processes, documentation practices, automation frameworks, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Support program planning and execution through test engineering estimates, schedules, resource plans, equipment budgets, and technical risk assessments; balance personnel and laboratory resources and monitor progress.
Lead test engineering for production transition, including production test strategy, acceptance testing, equipment deployment, manufacturing troubleshooting, yield improvement, and coordination with manufacturing and quality.