Staff RF Engineer

Innova Solutions•Menlo Park, CA

About The Position

A client of Innova Solutions is hiring a Staff RF Engineer on a contract-to-hire basis for a six-month contract in Menlo Park, California. The engineer will lead architecture and development of RF modules for next-generation radar platforms, design RF circuits and system-level performance models, and drive RF printed circuit board assembly development from schematic capture through production release. The role also involves laboratory characterization and optimization, technical design reviews, and contributing to future RF architecture decisions. The position requires a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related discipline and at least 10 years of experience designing RF and microwave electronics. Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Personnel Security Clearance. The posted pay range is $70–$75 per hour; compensation depends on factors including education, experience, work location, job duties, and certifications. The role is open only to candidates who can be engaged on a W-2 basis; 1099 and Corp-to-Corp arrangements are not considered. Innova Solutions offers benefits, subject to eligibility, including medical and pharmacy coverage, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k), health savings and flexible spending accounts, life and pet insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage, accident and critical illness coverage, prepaid legal and identity theft protection, sick time and other legally required paid leaves, and an Employee Assistance Program.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a related discipline.
At least 10 years of experience designing RF and microwave electronics.
Proficiency with Altium Designer or equivalent PCB design software.
Demonstrated experience designing complex RF PCBAs from concept through production.
Experience with RF simulation tools such as ADS and CST.
Strong laboratory skills using VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes, power meters, and related RF instrumentation.
Experience developing engineering tools and automation using Python.
Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Personnel Security Clearance.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in electrical engineering with an emphasis in RF or microwave engineering.
Experience designing radar, aerospace, communications, or defense electronics.
Experience with phased arrays, antenna design, or beamforming systems.
Experience with RF calibration, metrology, and EMI/EMC mitigation.
Familiarity with PLM systems such as Arena.

Responsibilities

Lead the architecture and development of RF modules for next-generation radar platforms.
Design and analyze RF circuits, including receivers, transmitters, amplifiers, filters, frequency synthesis, and antenna interfaces.
Develop system-level RF budgets, cascade analyses, and performance models.
Drive RF PCB design from schematic capture through layout, bring-up, validation, and production release.
Perform laboratory characterization, debugging, calibration, and performance optimization using modern RF test equipment.
Conduct technical design reviews, evaluate technical tradeoffs, and help define RF architecture for future radar platforms.