Radar Systems Engineer - Signal Processing

TerraFirma, Inc.•Austin, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

At TerraFirma, we’re redefining how the world moves earth for construction. Founded by former SpaceX engineers and backed by Kleiner Perkins and Bain Capital Ventures, TerraFirma is automating construction to make it faster, cheaper, and safer. Our Story & Mission At SpaceX, we were part of the teams that built the largest rocket in human history, launched the largest constellation of satellites ever made, and delivered connectivity to millions of people worldwide. What we learned was simple: infrastructure is everything. At Starbase, the biggest barrier to launching missions to Mars was not building the rocket. It was how slow, expensive, and complex it was to build the infrastructure around it. We lacked buildings, roads, water, power, communications, and waste management, and constructing them took far more time and resources than it should have. From a first-principles perspective, that doesn't make sense. It shouldn't be this hard or costly to create the foundations for progress. That’s when we realized something important: the same engineering mindset that enabled us to tackle space exploration and mass manufacturing could be applied to infrastructure. By bringing the principles of simplification, iteration, acceleration, and automation to construction, we can unlock a new era in how the world builds. Accelerating infrastructure unlocks progress across every domain, creating a self-sustaining engine for tackling humanity’s toughest challenges. The innovations we develop on Earth will lay the groundwork for the technologies that one day make settlement on Mars possible.

Requirements

B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field
2+ years of professional or project experience with RF, DSP, or electrical engineering with hands-on hardware development and prototyping
Proficiency in fundamentals of signals analysis and electrical engineering
Demonstrated experience owning large-scale deliverables, leading teams, and driving product roadmaps

Nice To Haves

Strong background in digital and image signal processing, machine learning, and efficient manipulation of large datasets for high-throughput analysis
Experience designing or testing radar systems including antennas/frontends targeting the VHF and UHF bands
Experience with FPGAs, including hardware design, HDL programming, and common low-level and embedded protocols
Experience prototyping with SDR and open source tools like GNU Radio
PCB design experience for rapid prototyping, including schematic capture and layout
Familiarity with C/C++, Python/R, and Linux systems
Solid understanding of antenna design and analysis
Experience designing and running test campaigns for qualification/acceptance for custom hardware
Experience with component selection and integration for SoCs, FPGAs, MCUs, and custom ICs

Responsibilities

Own the system architecture for an electromagnetic sensing application from concept through first prototype
Design and validate new sensor hardware. Must be comfortable with RF circuit and antenna concepts and ready to dive into real-time FPGA processing
Develop, test, and deploy algorithms in realms of sensor fusion, image processing, and object detection in Python/R/C++. Be ready to explore reinforced learning for a higher degree of confidence
Work with interdisciplinary teams to design, test, and deliver custom hardware and software solutions
Take on leadership roles when required, mentor new employees, and actively participate in the hiring process