RF Systems Engineer SME (SETA)

Markon•Chantilly, VA

2d•$170,000 - $200,000

About The Position

Markon is seeking a SME-level RF Systems Engineer to support an IC customer with the entire Systems Engineering life cycle. The RF Subject Matter Expert (SME) / Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) professional provides senior-level technical expertise and independent government advisory support for the research, development, acquisition, integration, testing, and operational deployment of RF communication systems. The RF SME serves as a trusted technical advisor, providing objective assessments, engineering recommendations, technical oversight, and subject matter expertise to support informed programmatic and technical decision-making.

Requirements

Minimum of 12 years with BS/BA; Minimum of 10 years with MS/MA; Minimum of 7 years with Ph.D.; an additional four years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph.
Minimum of 5+ years of experience as a Systems Engineer providing the above services
Strong written, communications and interpersonal skills with the ability to prepare and brief complex technical and non-technical information to non-technical stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience with RF communication systems, technologies, and concepts
Be a self-starter who will take initiative for helping manage key parts of complex technical developments.
Possess a desire and ability to work on multiple fast-paced projects and be willing and able to aggressively learn the activities and focus of the organization.
Must be comfortable working in a dynamic team environment.

Responsibilities

Manage the deep-dive into new technologies or products offered by OGA’s, academia, or private industry to determine whether or not the offerings present new capabilities or fill technological gaps in an operational setting.
Participate actively in the identification and triage of new—often times bespoke—technologies and to determine the best manner for evaluation. This includes reaching out to mission partners for collaboration, and working with operations to ensure the testing and evaluations being conducted align with their unique current or future requirements.
Engage with industry leaders and academia to identify trends and new technological advancements
Attend industry events and participate in joint evaluation exercises
Lead dry runs of new capabilities
Serve as the primary RF engineering Subject Matter Expert supporting the design, development, integration, testing, and operational assessment of terrestrial, airborne, and satellite communications systems.
Provide Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) support to government program managers, engineers, and stakeholders across the full acquisition and system development lifecycle.
Support the development, analysis, and refinement of system requirements, including RF performance parameters, communications architectures, interface requirements, and operational concepts.
Conduct technical assessments of RF system designs, architectures, waveforms, antennas, propagation characteristics, link budgets, and overall end-to-end communications performance.
Evaluate traditional and non-traditional communications methodologies, including: Surface Wave and ground-wave communications, Body-Area-Network (BAN) communications and transmissions, Small-scale and specialized VLF communications, Low Probability of Detection/Low Probability of Intercept (LPD/LPI) communications, Beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) and satellite communications, Emerging and unconventional RF communications technologies.
Provide technical oversight and independent assessments during system design reviews, including System Requirements Reviews (SRR), Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR), Critical Design Reviews (CDR), and other technical milestones.
Support end-to-end system engineering activities, including requirements development, architecture definition, trade studies, interface analysis, integration, verification, validation, and performance analysis.
Develop and assess RF link budgets, propagation models, antenna performance, transmitter and receiver characteristics, interference environments, spectrum utilization, and electromagnetic compatibility considerations.
Support laboratory, field, developmental, operational, and integrated testing activities.
Develop test objectives, evaluation criteria, test procedures, and performance measures to assess system capabilities and operational effectiveness.
Analyze test data and system performance results and provide technically sound recommendations for system improvements, risk reduction, and future development.
Identify technical risks, capability gaps, integration challenges, and emerging technology opportunities and provide recommendations to government leadership.
Review contractor technical documentation, engineering analyses, test plans, requirements documentation, and design products to assess technical adequacy and compliance with program objectives.
Participate in technical interchange meetings, working groups, architecture reviews, and integrated product teams.
Translate complex technical issues into clear, concise information suitable for government leadership, program managers, engineers, and operational stakeholders.
Maintain awareness of emerging RF technologies, communications architectures, spectrum challenges, and advanced electromagnetic capabilities relevant to government mission requirements.