Senior RF Design Engineer

Astranis•San Francisco, CA

2d•$170,000 - $230,000

About The Position

Astranis is hiring a Senior RF Design Engineer to design, qualify, and procure active RF electronics—including frequency converters, SSPAs, LNAs, and PLLs—for the RF front ends of satellite payloads. The engineer will collaborate with mechanical, payload systems, electrical, and software engineers to meet overall system requirements. The role covers active and passive RF subsystem design at microwave frequencies, from requirements definition through manufacturing, bring-up, and qualification testing. The engineer will integrate systems into spacecraft and specify, procure, and integrate third-party vendor hardware. The position also contributes to recruiting, interviewing, and hiring teammates.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, physics, applied physics, or equivalent.
Passion for hardware development, including hands-on design and development in a fast-paced environment.
6+ years of experience.
Deep knowledge of fundamental RF concepts, including RF circuit analysis, amplifier design, noise, linearity, and radio architectures.
Hands-on experience designing, building, and testing RF hardware for microwave frequencies.
Proven completion of a product from concept to production.
Experience with RF simulation tools such as ADS, Cadence, or HFSS.
Experience with PCB design, layout, and simulation using Altium or similar tools.
U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or refugee/asylee status is required to comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or Ph.D. in electrical engineering, physics, applied physics, or equivalent.
Experience with system-in-package (SiP), multi-chip modules (MCM), or packaged RF hybrids.
Experience developing communications satellite payloads.
Experience designing SSPAs or implementing SSPA-based phased arrays.
Experience designing high-reliability electronics for harsh environments such as space or automotive.
Knowledge and background in antennas and electromagnetic propagation.
Experience with software-defined radios and associated skills such as mixed-signal and high-speed digital design.
Familiarity with Python or other scripting languages used to automate test instruments.

Responsibilities

Design, simulate, implement, and measure active and passive RF subsystems at microwave frequencies, including SSPAs, LNAs, power amplifiers, up/down converters, oscillators, and filters.
Own hardware designs from requirements definition through manufacturing, bring-up, and qualification testing.
Integrate RF systems into spacecraft in collaboration with the broader team.
Specify, procure, and integrate third-party vendor hardware.
Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates.