Senior RF & Antenna Systems Engineer
Torrance, CA$140k - $175kFull-timePosted 11mo ago
About the role
Senior RF & Antenna Systems Engineer to define and evaluate phased-array RF architectures for Northwood’s satellite ground-station network, translating mission and link requirements into antenna, aperture, beamforming, RF front-end, calibration, and tracking specifications.
Responsibilities
- Define phased-array antenna and RF-system architectures for satellite communication ground stations.
- Translate mission, coverage, link-availability, waveform, throughput, and regulatory requirements into aperture, RF front-end, beamforming, calibration, pointing, and tracking specifications.
- Develop and maintain end-to-end SATCOM link budgets incorporating measured aperture and RF-chain performance.
- Analyze analog, hybrid, and digital beamforming approaches in collaboration with RF and digital implementation teams.
- Determine how antenna and RF impairments affect communications performance, including EVM, carrier acquisition, BER/BLER, throughput, spectral compliance, and link availability.
- Analyze RF lineups and performance budgets for gain, noise figure, dynamic range, linearity, compression, intermodulation, phase noise, frequency stability, filtering, and isolation.
- Build Python, MATLAB, or similar models combining array behavior, measured RF performance, propagation, and modem-level metrics.
- Lead cross-functional investigations of degraded G/T, EIRP, link margin, EVM, acquisition, tracking, BER, throughput, or spectral performance.
- Support regulatory submissions, spectrum coordination, partner interface reviews, system acceptance, and operational deployment.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related discipline.
- 5+ years of experience with phased arrays, antenna systems, RF communication systems, or SATCOM terminals.
- Experience with communication-link analysis, including EIRP, G/T, C/N0, Eb/N0, link margin, atmospheric loss, and interference.
- Understanding of digital communications sufficient to relate RF performance to modulation-dependent EVM, acquisition, BER, throughput, and spectral performance.
- Experience defining or evaluating RF lineups, including noise figure, gain, linearity, dynamic range, phase noise, filtering, and isolation.
- Hands-on experience with RF measurements and integrated system debugging using VNA, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, noise sources, and vector signal analyzers.
Skills
Required:phased-array designRF system engineeringlink-budget analysisRF measurements
Benefits
- equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, flexible spending accounts, flexible time off, 10 or more paid holidays per year, retirement savings plans, opportunities for professional development
Last updated Oct 7, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
About northwoodspace
The world runs on space. We’re building the infrastructure to keep it connected.
The world runs on space. We’re building the technology to keep it connected.
spaceinfrastructureground segmenttechnology
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