Principal Systems Engineer - RF/SATCOM

HawkEye 360•Herndon, VA

16h

About The Position

HawkEye 360 is seeking an experienced RF/SATCOM Systems Engineer with a strong background in electrical engineering or telecommunications to design, analyze, and integrate advanced satellite communication systems. This role involves end-to-end RF systems engineering, including link budget development, waveform and antenna optimization, and ground terminal design across GEO, MEO, and LEO architectures. The RF Hardware SME will work hands-on in RF lab environments, leverage SDR and digital IF technologies, and collaborate across network and systems teams to ensure seamless interoperability with terrestrial infrastructures. This position supports mission-critical government and military communications and requires strong technical depth in RF systems, satellite communications, and adaptive networking, along with an active TS/SCI clearance and willingness to travel as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in electrical engineering, Telecommunications, or a related field.
Analyze and optimize waveforms including QPSK, 8PSK, 16QAM, and Forward Error Correction (FEC) schemes for spectral efficiency and link robustness.
Extensive hands-on experience in RF systems design and SATCOM engineering.
Familiarity with ground terminal design and satellite communication subsystems.
Strong working knowledge of modulation schemes, link budgets, and antenna system performance.
Experience with RF lab measurement tools and SDR platforms
Must possess an active Top Secret/SCI clearance and CI polygraph (polygraph within the last ten (10) years).
Willingness to travel up to 10%
Prior experience supporting military or government communication systems.
Knowledge of mesh networking, advanced waveform optimization, and spectrum management.
Experience with digital IF, signal processing, and adaptive communications techniques.
Familiarity with non-traditional RF sensing technologies and methodologies.

Nice To Haves

Ability to lead or mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance.
Experience producing system documentation such as architectures, ICDs, and test reports.
Strong troubleshooting skills across RF, networking, and system integration domains.
Experience supporting system deployment, fielding, and operational sustainment.
Ability to perform technical trade studies and make cost/performance design decisions.
Familiarity with cybersecurity considerations for SATCOM and RF systems.
Experience collaborating with vendors and external partners on hardware and integration efforts.
Adaptability and willingness to learn new satellite platforms, waveforms, and mission concepts.

Responsibilities

Perform end-to-end RF and SATCOM systems engineering, including link budgets, propagation analysis, EIRP/G/T calculations, and noise figure optimization.
Support the design, integration, and validation of SATCOM systems across GEO, MEO, and LEO satellite constellations and waveform technologies.
Design, develop, and integrate SATCOM ground terminal hardware, including RF front-ends, antennas, modems, BUCs, and LNBs.
Apply antenna theory and design principles to phased arrays, parabolic reflectors, flat panel antennas, and systems requiring beam steering, polarization control, and precision tracking..
Utilize Software Defined Radios (SDRs) and digital IF architectures for system development, testing, and troubleshooting.
Conduct RF testing and analysis using laboratory equipment such as spectrum analyzers and signal generators, and interpret measurement results.
Collaborate on network protocol integration, ensuring smooth interoperability between SATCOM and terrestrial TCP/IP, VLAN, and QoS-based infrastructures.
Apply mesh networking and adaptive communications concepts to optimize routing, latency, frequency reuse, and spectrum utilization.
Support mission-critical government or military communications through hands-on engineering, analysis, and technical problem-solving.

Stand Out From the Crowd

Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.

Upload and Match Resume