Senior RF Engineer II

At CesiumAstro , we develop pioneering out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We pride ourselves on our dynamic, cross‑functional work environment that allows learning, development, and engagement across the organization. If you enjoy hands‑on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We seek passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward‑thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Senior RF Hardware Engineer. If you excel in your field, thrive in a startup environment, and are passionate about developing cutting‑edge electronics for satellites, spacecraft, and aerospace systems, we’d like to hear from you.

As a Senior II level employee, you will handle full‑stack hardware development for complex modules and small systems, progressing from concept through detailed design, analysis, layout, build, test, and delivery. You will conduct hands‑on work at each phase and assume technical leadership over small teams of hardware engineers, driving commitment to technical rigor and agility in our startup environment.

The successful candidate will present design review materials to customers and the executive team, mandating strong written and verbal communication skills.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and develop RF, mixed‑signal, and digital hardware for electronically steered antenna (AESA) communication systems.
• Support the adaptation of existing hardware designs for new customer platforms, operational environments, and regional requirements.
• Develop RF front‑end, power distribution, control, and interface circuitry for phased‑array communication terminals.
• Own the development of hardware modules and subsystems from requirements through schematic capture, layout, integration, verification, and production release.
• Develop hardware requirements, perform trade studies, and support subsystem architecture development.
• Perform detailed schematic design for complex RF, mixed‑signal, and high‑speed digital circuit boards.
• Support PCB layout activities in Altium Designer, including stack‑up definition, component placement, routing reviews, and design‑for‑manufacturing considerations.
• Perform engineering analyses including worst‑case circuit analysis, signal integrity, power integrity, thermal, and reliability assessments.
• Develop and execute hardware bring‑up, integration, debugging, and design verification activities.
• Support RF characterization, system integration, troubleshooting, and root‑cause investigations using laboratory test equipment.
• Define and execute environmental, qualification, and compliance testing activities, including EMI/EMC verification.
• Collaborate closely with all relevant engineering teams throughout the product lifecycle.
• Support technical design reviews, engineering documentation, requirements traceability, and customer‑facing technical activities.
• Contribute to product qualification, certification, manufacturing transfer, and production support activities.
• Provide technical support for field trials, demonstrations, customer evaluations, and deployment activities.
• Mentor junior engineers and technicians while promoting engineering best practices and technical rigor.
• Apply knowledge of adjacent disciplines, including software, systems, RF, and mechanical engineering, to support efficient product development and integration.

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Science (BS) degree or higher in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
• Minimum of 6 years of board‑level electronics design, analysis, and test experience.
• Direct experience designing high‑reliability electronics for space or defense applications, including part derating, worst‑case analysis, and thermal constraints.
• Experience owning the design phase of complex board‑level electronics, including trade studies, key part selection, and detailed design.
• Experience delivering hardware designs through production and deployment.
• Expertise in PCB layout, including high‑density interconnect (HDI) stack‑up design and high‑speed routing.
• Experience running board‑level signal integrity and/or power integrity simulation tools such as Ansys SIwave, ADS SIPro, or Mentor Hyperlynx.
• Strong working knowledge of adjacent fields such as software and mechanical that guide hardware design and system design.
• Expert‑level proficiency in electronics design tools such as Altium.
• Extensive lab experience for bring‑up and verification of new hardware.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Experience leading small teams of hardware engineers to develop multi‑module assemblies, including hardware architecture, requirements, make‑/buy decisions, and interconnects.
• Design for space radiation environments.

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