Senor/ RF Technician (Hybrid- Annapolis, MD)
About The Position
The C-UAS Sensor/RF Technician installs, aligns, verifies, troubleshoots, and sustains C‑UAS sensor suites—including RF detection, radar, and EO/IR—and supports integration to C2 software, network/backhaul, and trailerized/power systems for lab, test range, and operational deployments. Work products and records are maintained in accordance with DHS’s Systems Engineering Life Cycle (SELC), which requires structured technical reviews, entrance/exit criteria, and lifecycle artifacts that support acceptance and fielding decisions. When supporting live‑fly events, the technician assists with airspace/COA coordination artifacts and adheres to range procedures. The role also supports RF deconfliction and spectrum record‑keeping consistent with federal spectrum management guidance.
Requirements
- Must be a U.S citizen with an ACTIVE security clearance of at least the SECRET level.
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering, RF Systems, or related field; equivalent military technical training in this field accepted.
- 12+ years hands‑on experience as an RF/sensor/radar/EO‑IR technician or field engineer integrating sensors with IP networks and mission software on federal/defense or critical‑infrastructure programs.
- Proficiency with RF test equipment (spectrum analyzers, VNAs/cable‑and‑antenna analyzers, power meters), radar alignment tools, EO/IR alignment/boresight, time‑sync methods, and IP networking basics.
- Experience with airspace/range procedures supporting UAS live‑fly events and handling COA provisions at the site.
- Familiarity with federal spectrum coordination practices (NTIA Manual concepts) and maintaining RF usage records.
- Ability to produce site SELC artifacts and maintain configuration traceability consistent with ISO 10007.
Responsibilities
- Install and align RF detection systems, ground surveillance radar, and EO/IR cameras on masts/trailers or fixed sites; perform line of sight checks, cable/connector terminations, grounding, and environmental hardening; document as built configurations for SELC artifacts.
- Execute sensor calibration and boresight activities and verify performance in integration labs and at test ranges; maintain alignment logs and calibration certificates in the configuration repository.
- Conduct on site RF surveys to characterize ambient RF, identify interference, and set safe operating parameters; maintain RF usage logs and coordinate deconfliction in line with federal spectrum management practices.
- Support preparation of event specific RF coordination packages; ensure that any partner operations requiring non-federal authorizations pursue the appropriate FCC mechanisms via partner organizations.
- Assist the deployment/test team with range checkouts, safety lines, NOTAM review, and COA special provisions at the test site; ensure equipment setup adheres to approved airspace constraints for public UAS operations under COA or applicable authorization.
- Apply field hazard controls per system safety practices during installs, mast work, and live fly evolutions; maintain tailboard and hazard logs.
- Connect sensors to C2 software via IP links, time sync services, and site backhaul; validate end to end data flow and latency; document IP schemas and cable plans in the site record set.
- For high capacity backhaul, assist with link alignment, registration inputs, and channelization paperwork under program/network engineering guidance.
- Perform Tier 2 troubleshooting for RF/radar/EO IR hardware, low noise chains, PDU/UPS, environmental controllers, and network devices; swap/return to vendor components; maintain spares and preventive maintenance schedules tied to SELC operations/maintenance artifacts.
- Capture symptoms, diagnostics, and fixes in tickets and configuration logs.
- Support Developmental/Operational Test execution at the sensor layer: verify time sync, logging, and truth source hookups; validate data completeness and metadata to feed performance metrics and latency required by program evaluation plans.
- Produce field data packages and contribute to test quicklooks and after action reports used at SELC reviews.
- Apply baseline hardening steps from runbooks before connecting devices; record firmware/software versions, checksums, and configuration snapshots; support RMF evidence capture for continuous monitoring.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
Associate degree
