Principal RF Design Engineer

Northrop Grumman•Manhattan Beach, CA

11d•$114,000 - $171,000

About The Position

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history. Please be aware that this position is contingent upon capturing program award(s) and obtaining and maintaining associated business and/or customer funding. We are seeking a T03 Level RF Design Engineer to support the design, analysis, and verification of RF boards and modules for high‑performance space systems. The successful candidate will be hands‑on in circuit and layout development, proficient in EM simulation (HFSS or equivalent), and capable of performing RF system analysis and link budgets.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (or related field) with 5+ years of RF design experience; or Master’s degree with 3+ years of RF design experience; or PhD with 0–2 years of RF design experience.
Hands‑on experience in RF board and/or module design from concept through test.
Strong proficiency with RF circuit design and simulation tools, including ADS (or equivalent).
Experience with EM simulation tools such as HFSS (or similar), including meshing, model setup, and interpretation of S‑parameters and fields.
Solid understanding of RF fundamentals (e.g., impedance matching, S‑parameters, noise, linearity, stability, filtering).
Experience developing link budgets and RF system‑level analyses.
Ability to work effectively in cross‑functional teams and communicate technical information clearly in written and verbal form.
U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing RF boards/modules for radar, communications, EW, or similar applications.
Familiarity with lab test equipment (VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes) and RF measurement best practices.
Experience with high‑frequency PCB design practices (stack‑ups, controlled impedance, grounding, shielding, and thermal considerations).
Experience working in a hardware development environment with configuration management and formal design reviews.
Active security clearance

Responsibilities

Design, simulate, and debug RF circuits and subsystems at the board and module level (e.g., LNAs, PAs, mixers, filters, synthesizers, couplers).
Develop and analyze RF chain architectures, including gain, noise figure, linearity, and dynamic range allocations.
Perform link budget analysis for RF and microwave systems to validate end‑to‑end performance and support requirements flow‑down.
Use EM simulation tools (e.g., HFSS or equivalent) to model RF structures, interconnects, and components, and translate results into robust designs.
Use ADS (or similar RF design suites) for circuit simulation, optimization, and system‑level modeling.
Generate and review schematics, drive PCB and module layout, and collaborate with layout and mechanical engineering to meet RF performance and manufacturability goals.
Support integration and test: develop test plans, analyze measurement data, and troubleshoot performance issues in the lab.
Participate in design reviews and contribute to technical documentation, design reports, and configuration‑controlled artifacts.