Principal RF Engineer

Metrea•Victor, NY

1d•$175,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

RADLAB is looking for a Principal RF Engineer to own the RF front-end design for our advanced integrated sensing-and-communications (ISAC) design, test and evaluation (DT&E) platform. You will be responsible for the signal chain from the antenna element port inward through the analog-digital interface, complementing our principal antenna engineer who owns the radiating elements and array design. Together, you will define and maintain a clean interface between the antenna and RF front-end domains. This is a hands-on individual-contributor role with significant technical leadership responsibility. You will translate system-level requirements into producible RF hardware, starting from trade studies through schematic capture, simulation, PCB layout, fabrication oversight, and bench validation. You will work directly with our prototype engineer to bring up and characterize hardware. The DT&E platform requires RF front-ends spanning C-band, Ka-band, and millimeter-wave frequencies, so the ability to work across frequency regimes is essential.

Requirements

BS, MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, or a closely related field
10+ years of professional experience designing performance-critical RF hardware in a radar, EW, communications, or similar system context. Equivalent depth through other kinds of applied RF engineering will also be considered
Demonstrated experience owning RF subsystems end-to-end: from architecture and trade studies through schematic capture, simulation, PCB layout, fabrication, bring-up, and test
Expert-level proficiency in RF cascade analysis, link budget development, noise figure budgeting, and transceiver system design
Strong hands-on experience with RF circuit simulation (ADS, MWO, MATLAB, or equivalent) tools
Proficiency in RF/microwave PCB design: impedance-controlled routing, high-frequency material selection and characterization, multi-layer stack-up design, and EM co-simulation
Experience with schematic capture and layout tools (Altium, OrCAD, DxDesigner, or equivalent)
Deep familiarity with RF test and measurement equipment: VNA, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes, noise figure meters
Clear technical writing and the ability to communicate design decisions, performance trade-offs, and test results to both RF and non-RF engineers
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States
Must be a U.S. citizen
This position requires the ability to obtain and hold an active, verified, and in good standing U.S. Government security clearance at the Top Secret level. Candidates will be subject to a background investigation in accordance with federal requirements.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience designing TR modules or multi-channel RF front-end hardware for active arrays
Experience across multiple frequency regimes (C-band through Ka-band or mmWave), including the packaging, interconnect, and thermal management challenges that change as you move up in frequency
Experience with EM simulation tools (HFSS, CST, or equivalent)
Experience integrating RF front-ends with high-speed digital backends: ADC/DAC interfaces, JESD204B/C, FPGA-based DDS, clocking architectures
Familiarity with ISAC, joint radar-communications, or cognitive/adaptive waveform concepts
Publications or patents in relevant RF, antenna, radar, or EW domains
An MS or PhD with research in a hardware-intensive RF domain

Responsibilities

Own the RF front-end architecture for the DT&E platform: signal chain topology, component selection, and interface definitions
Design modular and testable receive and transmit signal chains: LNAs, PAs, TR switching, filtering, frequency conversion, and frequency synthesis, owning the cascade analysis, noise figure budget, linearity allocation, spurious plan, and power dissipation budget
Develop frequency synthesis and LO distribution architectures that maintain phase coherence across multi-element systems, owning the trade-offs between integration, phase noise, spurious performance, and layout complexity
Coordinate with the principal antenna engineer at the element-port boundary: translate scan impedance data into matching network designs, feedback PA load-pull requirements, and ensure front-end packaging is compatible with element spacing and thermal constraints
Own the RF PCB design intent end-to-end: stack-up definition, material selection, impedance requirements, RF/EM co-simulation, and shielding strategy. Perform layout directly or drive external layout vendors with clear constraints and review their work for RF correctness. Generate manufacturing packages and resolve DFM issues through fabrication and assembly
Work directly with other engineers to bring up, calibrate, and characterize RF front-end hardware. Diagnose and resolve issues from bench measurements through system-level integration
Design and adapt RF front-ends across C-band, Ka-band, and millimeter-wave, addressing the packaging, thermal, and loss challenges specific to each regime
Specify and integrate RF components with digital subsystems. Collaborate with FPGA and DSP engineers on the analog-digital interface: clocking, data formats, signal conditioning, and the analog/digital boundary
Define RF test and calibration procedures for front-end and system-level performance verification
Lead design reviews, establish RF design standards and documentation practices within RADLAB, and mentor junior engineers
Contribute to proposals and technical white papers with RF feasibility assessments and architecture concepts