Senior RF Engineer

CHAOS Industries • Hawthorne, CA

4h • Onsite

About The Position

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with omniscient systems purpose-built for today’s realities. Designed and built by top U.S. military veterans and Silicon Valley innovators, CHAOS Industries’ products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. In a world where technological threats move at unprecedented speed, CHAOS Industries delivers advanced sensing and detection solutions that give the ultimate advantage: time.
CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised $1B in total funding from leading investors including 8VC, Accel, and NEA. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.
Role Overview:
CHAOS is seeking a Senior RF Engineer to support the design, analysis, integration, and verification of high-reliability RF and microwave electronics for aerospace and defense applications. This role works as part of a cross-functional, agile development team and spans the full product lifecycle, from early architecture and component trade studies through detailed design, testing, production support, and post-production sustainment of mission-critical systems.
The ideal candidate has strong hands-on experience in RF circuit and subsystem design, is comfortable working across frequency domains and packaging constraints, and can provide sound technical judgment when balancing performance, risk, and schedule. The candidate is expected to independently own RF designs and contribute to technical trade decisions within a program.
This is a full-time, on-site position in Hawthorne, CA.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with 5+ years of progressively responsible RF engineering experience
• Experience developing RF hardware for aerospace, defense, avionics, radar, EW, communications, or space systems
• Strong understanding of RF fundamentals, including gain, noise figure, linearity, phase noise, stability, and impedance matching
• Hands-on experience with RF test equipment (e.g., VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters)
• Demonstrated ability to analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve complex RF circuit performance issues
• Strong attention to detail and ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, development-focused environments
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Nice To Haves

• Advanced Degree (MS or PhD) in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or related discipline
• Experience with power amplifier design, analysis, and integration
• Familiarity with EMI/EMC considerations for RF systems and compliance with applicable aerospace standards
• Experience with mixed-signal or RF/digital interfaces
• Knowledge of manufacturing considerations for RF hardware, including tolerance analysis and yield drivers
• Experience supporting production hardware and fielded systems
• Experience with RF PCB layout best practices and design-for-manufacturing considerations
• Familiarity with DO-160, MIL-STD-461, or similar aerospace/defense standards
• Familiarity with RF antenna design principles

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, prototype, and tune RF circuit boards incorporating catalog MMICs, including LNAs, power amplifiers, baluns, filters, mixers, and associated bias and matching networks
• Perform architecture development and component trade studies to meet system-level RF performance requirements
• Develop schematics, layouts, and design documentation in accordance with customer requirements, aerospace standards, and internal design practices
• Conduct linear, nonlinear, and electromagnetic simulations using industry-standard tools (e.g., HFSS, ADS, AWR, or equivalent)
• Support PCB layout (Altium) and RF stack-up definition, including impedance control, grounding, shielding, and isolation techniques
• Plan and execute RF testing and characterization, including integration and troubleshooting at the board, module, and subsystem levels
• Contribute to the design and specification of RF test equipment, fixtures, and automation
• Collaborate with systems, power, digital, mechanical, and software engineers to ensure RF designs integrate cleanly within larger systems
• Serve as a technical contributor from development through production and post-production, including failure analysis and field support

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level