Wireless Communications Engineer

Mclaurin Aerospace • Houston, TX

2d • Onsite

About The Position

McLaurin is hiring a Wireless Communications Engineer for its JETS II contract team at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The engineer will serve as an RF Communications Systems Engineer on the Communication and Tracking Sub-System Analysis Team, supporting ISS, Orion, Moon Base, and Exploration Programs. The work supports NASA’s deep-space exploration efforts, including the return to the Moon.

The role involves analyzing RF communication systems and links, reviewing communication protocols and subsystem documentation, and contributing to program reviews and technical meetings. The position is on location, with situational telework only. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or meet the stated permanent-resident eligibility, and must successfully complete a U.S. government background investigation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and typically 2–5 years of experience in the field or a related area.
• Bachelor of Science or Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited engineering school.
• Completed college-level RF Communications coursework, such as digital communications, DSP, microwave, satellite communications, or estimation and detection theory.
• Strong analytical skills in RF communications.
• Strong knowledge of communication systems, including digital modulation and demodulation, encoding and decoding, spread-spectrum signals, signal detection, data formatting, and packetizing.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills, and the ability to work in a team environment.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident for 3 years and successfully complete a U.S. government background investigation.
• Must work on location; telework is situational only.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with spectrum management, including the NTIA spectrum approval process, review of spectrum requests, spectrum sharing, and interference analysis.
• Experience with NASA processes.
• Knowledge of antennas, RF propagation, and network-layer protocols.
• Familiarity with CCSDS communication standards.
• Knowledge of pseudo-noise ranging, forward error correction such as LDPC, radiometric range and range-rate calculations, and orbital dynamics.
• Programming experience with C/C++ and Python.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an RF Communications Systems Engineer for the Communication and Tracking Sub-System Analysis Team supporting ISS, Orion, Moon Base, and Exploration Programs.
• Review link- and network-layer protocols implemented on communication systems based on CCSDS recommendations.
• Determine RF communication-link performance and create link budgets using analytical methods, analysis, and simulations.
• Participate in and contribute to Systems Requirements Reviews, Preliminary and Critical Design Reviews, and Technical Interchange Meetings.
• Perform RF interference and compatibility, Power Flux Density, and spectral analyses for space-based communication systems using Matlab, Simulink, and Excel.
• Review RF communication subsystem-level Interface Requirements Documents, Verification Requirements, Interface Control Documents, and component-level requirements for transponders, transceivers, and baseband processors.
• Assist and support the NASA RF communication subsystem manager with reviews and meetings, and act as the technical point of contact.
• Represent Johnson Space Center and interface with other NASA centers, federal agencies, and commercial partners.
• Perform other duties as required.

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Positive work-life balance
• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance
• 11 paid holidays annually
• Generous paid time off
• 401(k) after 12 months of service with employer match
• Education assistance
• Relocation assistance, if applicable

What This Job Offers

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