Senior RF Systems Engineer

Space Systems Integration•El Segundo, CA

6h•$210,000 - $255,000•Onsite

About The Position

Space Systems Integration (SSI), a fast-growing engineering company serving government and commercial customers, is seeking a Senior RF Systems Engineer in El Segundo, California. The engineer will provide primary technical oversight for Space RF payload development, build, verification, and deployment, advising Government leadership and recommending course corrections through delivery. The role covers requirements generation and flow-down, requirements compliance assessments, concept design evaluation and alternatives analysis, readiness assessments, CONOPS development, and technical oversight of payload integration onto candidate spacecraft. It also includes oversight of transition to operations, including operator training, payload initialization and checkout, and on-orbit operations. The engineer assesses payload design updates and their performance and spacecraft impacts, evaluates risk-reduction plans to improve design and hardware maturity, and coordinates with prime and subcontractor contacts to keep work on schedule and progressing. The position requires an active TS clearance with an in-scope T5/SSBI, SCI eligibility, participation in Continuous Evaluation, qualification for SCI and SAP access, and willingness to undergo a polygraph examination. Travel is 10%. The target salary range is $210,000–$255,000, with the estimate and bonus potential based on experience and other factors. SSI offers medical, dental, and vision benefits and a 401(k) contribution.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a technical field such as physics, mathematics, or aerospace engineering, plus at least 14 years of relevant experience; or a master's degree in one of these fields plus at least 12 years of relevant experience.
Experience with spaceborne RF payloads, signal processing, signals, and mission data processing.
Ability to analyze technical issues, discover their causes, and find solutions in relevant technology.
Working knowledge of orbital mechanics and environmental effects on spaceborne RF payloads.
Experience applying systems engineering principles to payload development, build, and integration and test onto spacecraft.
Good communication skills with peers and customer leadership.
Active TS clearance with in-scope T5/SSBI, SCI eligibility, and participation in Continuous Evaluation.
Meet requirements for SCI and SAP access and be willing to undergo a polygraph examination.
Willingness to travel 10%.

Nice To Haves

At least 16 years of experience with RF payloads.
Experience with integration and test of spaceborne RF payloads onto spacecraft.
Familiarity with Department of War (DoW) acquisition processes.
Experience as a project manager on a space payload program or integrated product team (IPT).
Ability to generate link budgets for end-to-end space-to-ground communications systems and/or RF payloads.

Responsibilities

Provide primary technical oversight for the development, build, verification, and deployment of Space RF payloads, and advise Government leadership as needed.
Recommend course corrections to payload design and build through delivery.
Generate requirements and assess compliance, including requirements flow-down.
Evaluate concept designs and analyze alternatives.
Assess Critical Technology Elements, Technology Readiness Assessments, and Manufacturing Readiness Assessments.
Develop Concepts of Operations (CONOPS).
Provide technical oversight of payload integration onto candidate spacecraft.
Oversee transition to operations, including development, operator training, payload initialization and checkout, and on-orbit operations.
Assess proposed payload design updates and understand their performance and spacecraft impacts.
Assess risk-reduction plans for improving payload design and hardware maturity.
Work with prime and subcontractor contacts to ensure work is on schedule and progressing.