RF Design Engineer - Computational Electromagnetics

Battelle • Columbus, OH

5d • $105,600 - $150,500 • Hybrid

About The Position

Battelle is seeking a Radio Frequency (RF) Microwave Design Engineer for the Electronic Warfare group within its Advanced Microsystem Solutions Business Line. The position is based at Battelle Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and may require travel. The mid-level engineer leads tasks in developing complex RF/microwave transceiver systems and designs and models antennas and multilayer PCBs with transmit/receive components for communications, cyber, and electronic warfare solutions.

The role requires substantial microwave/RF design experience, including impedance matching with Smith charts, electromagnetic simulation, and validation using microwave test equipment. The engineer works closely with antenna engineers on advanced phased-array antennas and applies foundational antenna theory and phased-array concepts such as electronic beam steering and direction finding. The successful candidate provides technical leadership and subject-matter expertise while executing design, prototyping, analysis, testing, fabrication, and integration of RF/microwave systems, cards, and components into multidisciplinary solutions. The role also involves technical presentations to peers, program leadership, and customers, and support for new business development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a related field and at least 8 years of experience, or a master’s degree and at least 5 years of experience, or a PhD and at least 2 years of experience.
• Experience analyzing, designing, prototyping, and integrating microwave/RF systems, subsystems, and components.
• ECAD design experience with software such as Mentor Xpedition and PADS, Cadence Virtuoso and Allegro, or Altium Designer.
• Knowledge of antenna fundamentals and radiation theory, including Smith charts, impedance matching, and radiation patterns.
• Knowledge of microwave/RF circuits and transmission-line theory for designing single- or multilayer boards, including CPW, microstrip, and stripline, using impedance-matching techniques and modeling software.
• Experience with computational electromagnetics software such as HFSS and ADS (Momentum, FEM, etc.) to develop models from concept through final board layout.
• Experience validating and debugging discrepancies between models or simulations and measurements of final products.
• Experience incorporating off-the-shelf components such as power combiners/splitters, power amplifiers, LNAs, baluns, and phase shifters into board designs as model components.
• Experience testing with standard electrical and RF/microwave equipment, including vector network analyzers, power meters, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, noise sources, multimeters, and signal sources.
• Hands-on design experience with electromagnetic simulation and modeling tools such as HFSS, CST, ADS, Genesys, and/or AWR.
• Experience writing technical proposals, white papers, test plans, and reports.
• Must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Experience designing RF/microwave printed circuit boards and card carrier assemblies.
• Experience designing RF/microwave features such as frequency conversion, automatic gain control, custom amplification circuits, matching networks, and filters.
• Experience integrating high-frequency electronics into packages using card carrier assemblies and/or chip-and-wire technology.
• Experience using MATLAB for modeling, analysis, and design of free-space RF links, electronic beam-steering patterns, DSP, or related subject matter.
• Experience creating or working with RF/microwave link budgets to drive system requirements.
• Experience working with software-defined radios, including their use in RF system cascades and writing software for them.
• Familiarity with board layout tools, specifically Mentor PADS Pro for ECAD design.
• Experience designing, testing, and integrating active electronically steered antennas.
• Familiarity with setup and operation of military communications and electronic warfare equipment.
• Current U.S. government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Independently perform work and direct and coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams to support successful development of RF systems and assemblies.
• Foster collaborative RF design through rigorous, iterative modeling, simulation, and measurement.
• Mentor and train junior engineers.
• Develop and mature engineering design processes.
• Coordinate with customers and subcontractors.
• Lead creation of technical content for proposals and white papers.
• Create technical documentation, test plans, and reports.
• Conduct experiments and testing in laboratory and field environments.
• Provide technical leadership, subject-matter expertise, and individual execution in the design, prototyping, analysis, testing, fabrication, and integration of RF/microwave systems, cards, and components.
• Make technical presentations to peers, program leadership, and customers, and assist in new business development.
• Design and model antennas and multilayer PCBs with transmit/receive components for communications, cyber, and electronic warfare solutions.
• Work closely with antenna engineers on phased-array antenna applications, including electronic beam steering and direction finding.

Benefits

• Compressed work schedule, with most employees following a flexible schedule that provides every other Friday off.
• Hybrid work flexibility, with a stated model of 60% in-office and 40% remote, subject to team and position needs.
• Paid time off.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with wellness incentives and benefits, plus optional supplemental benefits.
• Coverage for partners, gender-affirming care and health support, and family formation support.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, with a 5% employer contribution for most employees regardless of employee contribution, plus matching contributions.
• Tuition assistance for higher education.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level