Multifunction EW RF Engineer

Forterra • Clarksburg, MD

1d • $205,000 - $255,000

About The Position

As an extension of our core products in Command, Control, and Communications (C3) we are diving deeper into the EW space to make the systems and platforms we integrate more survivable. We are developing an Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) capability that will provide broad spectrum awareness that can aid national government off-the-shelf assets in the EMS. For communication, this will provide a real time database of inference and unoccupied spectrum to aid maneuver. For Electromagnetic Warfare (EW), this will, in parallel, provide a tip and queue interface to enable current EW and Signals Intelligence systems to more rapidly identify signals of interest driving toward an open “plug-and-play” approach with national government off-the-shelf assets.

We are seeking an RF Systems Engineer to design, integrate, and field RF sensing capabilities that provide wideband spectrum awareness, agility, and direction finding aboard autonomous vehicles. This role will focus on bringing practical RF expertise to a small, cross-functional team building real systems for operational use.

You will own RF engineering end-to-end, from antenna concepts to RF front-end design for our EMSO products. This will not be limited to bespoke designs aimed solely at Forterra’s systems, but work more broadly to design RF systems that can host partner capabilities and support rapid integration of of a plurality of sensor, effectors and communication systems. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who thrives in ambiguous problem spaces and can move quickly from concept to over-the-air performance.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience designing, building, and testing RF or wireless systems from concept through deployment.
• Strong understanding of RF fundamentals, including antenna theory, array processing, RF propagation, impedance matching, filtering, and low-noise amplification.
• Experience analyzing RF system performance using link budgets, VSWR, noise figure, and dynamic range.
• Practical experience across a broad range of frequencies, from VHF and UHF through lower SHF.
• Ability to work cross-functionally and communicate RF concepts clearly to non-RF engineers.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with EMSO, EW, or SIGINT systems and spectrum-awareness workflows.
• Experience with antenna arrays, phased arrays, beamforming, or RF direction-finding techniques.
• Knowledge of digital signal processing techniques for RF systems.
• Programming experience (Python, MATLAB, C/C++) for RF test automation and data analysis.
• Experience integrating RF systems onto platforms.
• Prior experience working in fast-paced, small-team, or field-focused development environments

Responsibilities

• Design, integrate, and test RF front end design & subsystems supporting EMSO and EW sensing, including antennas, RF front-end components, and software-defined radios (SDRs).
• Develop RF architectures that enable wideband spectrum awareness, direction finding, and spectrum agility across VHF, UHF, and lower SHF bands.
• Work with external vendors and partners to specify, evaluate, and validate custom RF components or subsystems when required to ensure Forterra’s systems can support a wide array for tasks
• Rapidly prototype RF systems using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) or government off-the-shelf (GOTS) components, balancing speed, performance, and system maturity.
• Perform RF field testing, system demonstrations , experimentation, and validation.
• Collaborate with electrical and mechanical engineers to integrate RF hardware into autonomous vehicle platforms, considering antenna placement, grounding, shielding, and enclosure considerations.
• Diagnose and resolve RF performance issues including interference, data rate/bandwidth limitations, and RF chain degradation in real-world environments.

Benefits

• Premium Healthcare Benefits: Three plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.
• Basic Life/AD&D, short and long-term disability insurance plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
• A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid parental leave for birth/adoption.
• A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level