RF Communications Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

13h•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an RF Communications Engineer to contribute to communications system design, implementation, hardware test/evaluation, FPGA firmware, real-time embedded software, and more. As part of our team, you will make critical contributions to both new and legacy communications systems and work on a variety of projects in a fast-paced team environment. As an RF Communications Engineer, you will ... Work with multi-disciplinary teams in designing, implementing, and analyzing systems/algorithms for future resilient, secure, and adaptive communications networks operating in highly contested environments Develop FPGA firmware (VHDL) from concept through implementation, evaluation, and deployment Contribute to MATLAB modeling and simulation Validate and analyze performance of prototypes and tactical systems against complex operational scenarios Work as part of a team to design novel solutions and approaches for size/weight/power/cost (SWaP-C) constrained communications concepts Provide status updates, analysis results, and algorithms in written reports and in presentations to internal APL staff, program contractors, and government sponsors Support occasional field tests for hardware testing

Requirements

BS degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline
3+ years of experience in communications system design and digital signal processing
Demonstrated experience in FPGA/firmware implementation of transceivers, link-level algorithms, and communications hardware architectures
Understanding of system link budgets and analysis related to communications/RF systems
Strong knowledge of RF system design principles, with hands-on experience using RF hardware and test equipment
Experience in MATLAB and/or Python for algorithm development, modeling, and simulation
Strong experience with FPGA firmware design and development experience using VHDL and/or Verilog
Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team
Effectively communicate ideas and results
Able to obtain Interim Secret security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain Secret security clearance
U.S. citizenship

Nice To Haves

MS degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline
Professional experience with designing fast and adaptive wireless modems and/or networking protocols
Deep understanding of wireless communications concepts (OFDM, MIMO, etc.)
Experience implementing advanced concepts on FPGA such as transceivers, estimators, adaptive filtering techniques, error correction codes, etc.
Experience with current military links (e.g. CDL, LINK16/MIDS)
Experience with satellite communications systems
Experience with heterogeneous (PL‑PS) designs on AMD/Xilinx MPSoC/RFSoC/Versal architectures; familiarity with Petalinux/Yocto and C/C++ embedded programming experience
Active Secret security clearance

Responsibilities

Work with multi-disciplinary teams in designing, implementing, and analyzing systems/algorithms for future resilient, secure, and adaptive communications networks operating in highly contested environments
Develop FPGA firmware (VHDL) from concept through implementation, evaluation, and deployment
Contribute to MATLAB modeling and simulation
Validate and analyze performance of prototypes and tactical systems against complex operational scenarios
Work as part of a team to design novel solutions and approaches for size/weight/power/cost (SWaP-C) constrained communications concepts
Provide status updates, analysis results, and algorithms in written reports and in presentations to internal APL staff, program contractors, and government sponsors
Support occasional field tests for hardware testing