RF Test Engineer

Array Labs•Redwood City, CA

6d•$150,000 - $250,000

About The Position

Array Labs builds advanced radar systems to help humanity understand and respond to changes across the physical world. We’re launching a coordinated fleet of radar satellites to create a high-resolution 3D map of the Earth – updated in real time – enabling faster, smarter decision-making for government and commercial organizations supporting disaster response, infrastructure resilience, and mission-critical geopolitical intelligence. We design and build our satellites end-to-end, producing the world’s most advanced earth observation satellites. Our fleet will deliver unprecedented levels of accuracy, coverage, and responsiveness to power critical insights precisely where they’re needed most. As an RF Test Engineer, you will develop the hardware, procedures, and automated test infrastructure used to validate Array’s radar payloads and satellite electronics. Your work will include designing test fixtures and harnesses, creating FPGA- and software-driven test interfaces, developing board- and system-level test plans, and executing environmental and functional testing across a range of operating conditions. You will collaborate closely with electrical, RF, antenna, mechanical, and manufacturing engineers to diagnose issues, validate performance, and ensure flight readiness. The test systems you build will directly affect hardware reliability, calibration stability, and overall system performance on orbit. As part of our quickly growing engineering team, you will play a critical role in the design of the world’s most advanced radar satellite constellation—one that will significantly improve humanity’s ability to rapidly and comprehensively understand our changing planet.

Requirements

BS in Electrical Engineering, Physics or related STEM field with at least 2 years of related experience
Proficient working in the lab with RF test equipment, including vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers
Strong grasp of RF fundamentals: S-parameters, impedance matching, gain, compression, noise figure, phase noise, intermodulation, and link budgets
Working knowledge of calibration, de-embedding, fixture removal, and the sources of measurement error and how to mitigate them
Proficiency with programming and automation/scripting languages or ability to quickly learn them (i.e. Python, C++, MATLAB) for instrument control and data analysis, and navigating Linux terminals and file systems
Familiarity with design tools for schematic capture and reading RF/analog schematics
Strong technical documentation skills, including report writing and test result documentation and storage
Familiarity with software defined radios

Nice To Haves

Experience analyzing circuits and developing functional test plans
Board rework experience, specifically surface-mount soldering & hot-air rework
Experience operating in a contamination- and ESD-sensitive environments
Embedded software expertise, bare-metal (no-OS), RTOS-based, and Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) libraries for ARM-based microcontrollers or SoCs
Experience with system verification and validation, experience in root-cause test failures to ensure issues are understood and develop and implement mitigations as part of a process of continuous improvement
Bring-up and test of RF, power, and electronics subassemblies
Basic knowledge of RF system architecture and impairments or hands-on experience working with RF circuits and RF test equipment
Experience in space systems and environmental testing such as vibration, shock, thermal, burn-in, and TVAC
Understanding of sources of measurement error and how to implement appropriate mitigation strategies

Responsibilities

Develop RF and high-speed measurement solutions for in-house developed payload and avionics hardware which will fly to space
Characterize RF components and subsystems, such as LNAs, PAs, mixers, synthesizers, filters, transceivers, and antenna array assemblies
Design RF test fixtures, harnesses, and calibration/de-embedding methods that establish a trusted reference plane
Bring up and debug new RF and high-speed subsystems and testbeds with responsible engineers
Quantify measurement uncertainty and use it to set test limits
Execute functional and environmental RF testing (thermal, vacuum/TVAC, vibration), analyze test data, and provide recommendations for improvements
Validate that RF hardware meets its performance requirements, supporting acceptance and qualification campaigns and flight-readiness decisions
Participate in design reviews and provide input on testability and measurability
Maintain and calibrate RF test equipment and facilities