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Senior RF Electrical Engineer

Herndon, VA

HawkEye 360 is seeking a Sr. RF Electrical Engineer on the Space Team. The Space Team’s mission is to design, build, and test small commercial satellites that provide revolutionary RF geospatial analytics. 

You will perform RF and electrical design of our space platforms with a primary focus on our RF payloads. This includes RF front ends, integrating Software Defined Radios (SDR’s) and antenna systems. You’ll define and execute RF performance tests to verify mission requirements while also developing analog, digital, and power electronics across our satellite platforms. This role requires strong RF and Electrical Engineering expertise working cross functionally with the  mechanical, software, payload, and systems engineering teams. 

Your main responsibilities will be:

  • Design and develop  RF payload architectures and Software Defined Radio systems for space-based RF collection missions.
  • Design and optimize RF front ends, including filtering, amplification, frequency conversion, and signal conditioning circuitry.
  • Perform electrical and RF simulations at a board and system level to validate the performance of different sub-systems.
  • Perform RF link budget analysis, interference modeling, and sensitivity trade studies to meet mission performance requirements.
  • Support payload architecture decisions through mission-driven trade studies at PDR/CDR milestones.
  • Define and scope RF performance test plans to verify key specifications including sensitivity, dynamic range, spurious emissions, linearity, and signal quality.
  • Develop test procedures and automation scripts to characterize SDR and RF front-end performance.
  • Execute EMI/EMC compliance testing and develop mitigation strategies for flight hardware.
  • Design digital, analog, and power electronics for satellite flight hardware. Create and review schematics, block diagrams, PCB layouts, and Design for Manufacturing (DFM).
  • Work closely with PCB Contract Manufacturers (CMs) to ensure quality control and timely delivery of flight hardware.
  • Support spacecraft integration and testing efforts, including the design of Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE), flatsats for functional testing, and satellite flight hardware testing.
  • Perform first article hardware unit testing, including reception inspection, burn-in testing, thermal validation, and hardware checkouts. 

Your skills and qualifications:
Essential education and experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree in RF/Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
  • Expert understanding of software-defined radio architectures, RF front-ends, and space-based RF systems.
  • 7+ years of hands-on experience designing and testing RF electronics, including SDRs, mixers, filters, amplifiers, and receiver chains.
  • Experience s using lab equipment such as Spectrum Analyzers, Network Analyzers, Signal Generators, Noise Figure Analyzers, and RF test chambers.
  • Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively across multi-disciplinary teams.
  • Understanding of power electronics, high-speed digital design, and RF fundamentals (impedance matching, S-parameters, noise figure, linearity, etc.).
  • Expertise in PCB design and layout (Altium or similar) with attention to RF design  considerations (controlled impedance, grounding, shielding).
  • Hands-on flight hardware experience (satellite integration, RF lab testing, prototyping, troubleshooting).
  • Experience handling ESD-sensitive components and operating in cleanroom environments. 

Desirable:

  • Experience working in the smallsat or space industry with RF payloads or communication systems.
  • Experience with version control (git) and continuous integration workflows.
  • Proficiency with Python, C++, MATLAB, or other coding languages for RF analysis and test automation.
  • Experience with RF simulation tools (ADS, CST, HFSS, or similar).
  • Familiarity with CAD (NX, SolidWorks, etc.) to support electro-mechanical integration.
  • Experience with EMI/EMC testing
  • Experience using collaboration tools such as JIRA, Confluence, etc. 

We offer a compensation package that includes a competitive base salary plus annual performance bonus and benefits. We consider many factors when determining salary offers, such as candidate's work experience, education, training & skills, as well as market and business considerations. We are also open to considering candidates with experience and qualifications at a different level than required in a job posting, which may affect the compensation package offered.

Salary Range

$130,000 - $175,000 USD

Company Overview:

HawkEye 360 is equipping defense, intelligence, and national security leaders with mission-critical signals intelligence to enable faster, better decision making. By detecting, geolocating, and characterizing radio frequency emissions worldwide, HawkEye 360 delivers trusted domain awareness and early warning indicators to the US Government and allied partners. Our space-based collection, proprietary signal processing, and AI-powered analytics transform knowledge of RF spectrum into a strategic advantage. Proven by operational mission success, HawkEye 360 is redefining how signals intelligence strengthens national and global security.

HawkEye 360 is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

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