RF Wireless Engineering Technical Specialist

Arcfield•Chantilly, VA

About The Position

The RF Systems Engineering Advisor leads the development, analysis, and validation of quantitative RF performance models for advanced wireless communication systems. The role translates system requirements into actionable RF engineering analyses, identifies link-margin limitations, evaluates propagation, interference, and implementation impacts, and provides recommendations to inform architecture, design, deployment, and operational decisions. The Advisor works across multidisciplinary engineering teams, including RF, antenna, systems, network, hardware, software, and field engineering, to ensure wireless systems meet coverage, capacity, availability, reliability, and overall performance objectives. The position requires the ability to possess and maintain a TS/SCI clearance with polygraph.

Requirements

Must possess and be able to maintain a TS/SCI clearance with polygraph.
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, Communications Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Experience requirement: BS 10–12 years; MS 8–10 years; PhD 5–7 years.
Significant experience in RF systems engineering, wireless communications, link-budget development, propagation analysis, or related disciplines.
Demonstrated ability to develop and interpret uplink and downlink RF link budgets.
Strong understanding of RF fundamentals, including antenna performance, propagation, receiver sensitivity, noise analysis, interference, modulation, coding, and digital communications performance metrics.
Experience analyzing C/N, C/(I+N), Eb/N₀, link margin, noise figure, system noise temperature, EIRP, and G/T.
Ability to perform engineering trade studies and make technically sound, data-driven recommendations.
Strong analytical, written, verbal, and cross-functional communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, Communications Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
Experience with terrestrial, satellite, cellular, private wireless, tactical, or mission-critical communications systems.
Experience using RF modeling, propagation, simulation, and network-planning tools.
Familiarity with wireless standards, spectrum management, regulatory constraints, and RF test and measurement methods.
Experience supporting field trials, system integration, verification, validation, or operational performance optimization.

Responsibilities

Develop comprehensive uplink and downlink RF link budgets for terrestrial, satellite, cellular, private wireless, tactical, and other wireless communications systems.
Translate system-level requirements into quantitative RF performance models, assumptions, calculations, and engineering recommendations.
Calculate, validate, document, and maintain key link-budget parameters.
Develop link budgets across varying frequency bands, modulation and coding schemes, bandwidths, antenna configurations, propagation environments, operating conditions, and deployment scenarios.
Perform best-case, nominal, worst-case, and statistical link-budget analyses to assess system performance and risk.
Establish appropriate engineering margins based on availability, reliability, mission, and service-level requirements.
Identify link-budget sensitivities and determine the parameters with the greatest effect on system performance.
Conduct trade studies involving transmit power, antenna gain, receiver performance, bandwidth, coding and modulation, frequency selection, topology, and deployment configuration.