Back to jobs

Sr Staff Hardware Engineer, Radio Frequency

Mountain View, CA

We are CARIAD, an automotive software development team with the Volkswagen Group. Our mission is to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun. To achieve that we are building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry and creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year. We’re looking for talented, digital minds like you to help us create code that moves the world. Together with you, we’ll build outstanding digital experiences and products for all Volkswagen Group brands that will transform mobility. Join us as we shape the future of the car and everyone around it.

​Role Summary:

The Sr Staff Hardware Engineer, Radio Frequency serves as a technical leader within CARIAD’s Hardware Platform Development team, driving the design, validation, and optimization of advanced RF systems and circuits. This role demands deep expertise in RF architecture, antenna design and tuning, EMI/EMC mitigation, and complex system integration to enable robust, high-performance wireless communication across vehicle platforms.

As a senior technical authority, the Sr Staff Engineer not only leads, manages and delivers hands-on design and troubleshooting of high-quality, scalable solutions, but also sets direction for RF technology roadmaps, defines best practices, mentors cross-functional teams, and influences hardware architecture decisions. The role requires balancing innovation with reliability, ensuring compliance with global regulatory standards, while leading and guiding the development of next-generation connected mobility solutions at CARIAD.

Role Responsibilities:

  • Technical Leadership & Strategy (40%)

    • Define and communicate technical direction and best practices for RF hardware design and validation across CARIAD’s Hardware Platform Development team.
    • Shape and influence RF technology roadmaps and ensure alignment with long-term product and platform strategies.
    • Lead supplier engagement and evaluation of RF technologies, ensuring forward-looking adoption of next-generation solutions.
    • Act as the primary technical authority on RF architecture decisions, ensuring robust system integration and signal integrity.

    RF Design & Development (30%)

    • Drive design, simulation, and optimization of RF circuits, antennas, and transmission lines, setting benchmarks for high-frequency performance.
    • Establish design guidelines and mentor teams in advanced RF PCB layout practices, impedance matching, and antenna integration.
    • Proactively address challenges in noise reduction, power efficiency, and manufacturability, balancing performance with scalability.

    Testing, Validation & Compliance (20%)

    • Defines and leads quality testing methodologies, automation frameworks, and validation strategies to ensure reliable RF performance.
    • Oversee EMI/EMC mitigation approaches and ensure global regulatory compliance (FCC, CE, etc.).
    • Review and sign off on test plans, performance evaluations, and compliance results, setting the bar for engineering rigor.
    • Anticipate and guide teams through complex RF troubleshooting, establishing best practices for technical execution and enabling scalable problem-solving across projects.

    Mentorship & Cross-Functional Influence (10%)

    • Mentor junior and mid-level engineers, fostering technical growth in RF design, testing, and validation.
    • Collaborate with firmware, software, and system architecture teams to align RF integration with cross-functional roadmaps.
    Represent RF engineering in strategic discussions with stakeholders, ensuring technical feasibility informs product direction.

​General Skills:

  • Analytical and conceptual thinking
  • Experience in developing strategies for R&D
  • Communication skills - interpersonal, presentation and written
  • Integration - joining people, processes or systems
  • Influencing and negotiation skills
  • Strategic/visionary minded

​Required Specialized Skills:

  • Subject matter expert for RF hardware design and system integration, setting technical direction for the Hardware Platform Development team.
  • Strong understanding of RF circuit design, impedance matching, transmission line theory, and antenna design/tuning for wireless communication systems.
  • Expertise with RF test equipment (network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters) and automated test methodologies.
  • Specialized experience in PCB design for RF applications, including layout best practices for high-frequency circuits
  • Familiarity with wireless communication standards (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, 5G).
  • Knowledge of EMI/EMC mitigation techniques for RF systems.
  • Knowledge of embedded system software architecture, real-time operating systems, and web framework components and its interfaces
  • Strong knowledge of connected HPC software components and its peripherals · Knowledge of connected vehicle infotainment and communication software systems.
  • Programming languages C, C++, Java, HTML5, and script languages

​Desired Skills:

  • Experience with RF simulation tools (e.g., ADS, HFSS, CST, or similar)
  • Knowledge of low-noise amplifiers (LNA), power amplifiers (PA), and RF filters
  • Experience in automated RF testing and scripting (Python, MATLAB)
  • Background in automotive, aerospace, or IoT RF applications

​Workplace Flexibility:

  • ​Travel to worldwide locations required, up to 20%

​Years of Relevant Experience:

  • ​10+ years of radio frequency (RF) design, testing, and validation experience

​Required Education:

  • ​Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, RF Engineering, or a related field

​Desired Education: 

  • ​Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, RF Engineering, or a related field

Compensation

Salary range is dependent on factors such as geographical differentials, credentials or certifications, industry-based experience, qualification and training. In the city of Mountain View, California, the salary range for this position is $182,310- $264,195.

CARIAD, Inc. provides performance based merits and annual bonus along with a competitive benefits package. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 401k with employer match and defined contribution plan, short and long term disability, basic life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment plans, maternity and non-primary caregiver leave, adoption assistance, employee referral program and vacation and paid holidays. We also offer a unique vehicle lease program that covers registration and insurance fees. 

CARIAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds, and do not discriminate based on race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, color, gender identity/expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws. 

Employment with CARIAD Inc. is subject to export control and sanctions compliance. Some positions may involve access to technology and/or software source code subject to U.S. legal restrictions on release to certain foreign persons based on citizenship or permanent residence. To ensure compliance, applicants will be required to provide information for screening. Employment may be contingent on the outcome, including verification of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status, or confirmation that a license, exemption, or exception applies. CARIAD retains the discretion to decline to obtain a required license in any case. By applying, you acknowledge and agree to participate in this process.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Cariad, Inc.? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions

We invite applicants to share their demographic background. If you choose to complete this survey, your responses may be used to identify areas of improvement in our hiring process.
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Cariad, Inc.’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.