RF Hardware Engineer

Design advanced RF hardware for spacecraft missions with a team focused on next-generation spacecraft, RF payloads, and RF instruments. This onsite contract-to-hire role in Laurel, MD offers hands-on work across the full lifecycle from concept through launch, supported by a collaborative engineering environment and comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Responsibilities

As an RF Hardware Engineer, you will design, analyze, and develop advanced RF, microwave, and high-speed analog and digital hardware for spaceflight applications, including RF payloads and instruments. Work spans concept through launch, with technical leadership supporting spacecraft integration and test.

• Design RF, microwave, and high-speed analog and digital circuits and components to support spaceflight high-reliability requirements
• Run detailed circuit and system simulations to predict and optimize performance across RF and high-frequency domains
• Create layouts for lumped and distributed element RF/microwave circuits, including high-density digital and RF PCB content
• Perform circuit-level analysis to assess performance, troubleshoot issues, and recommend improvements
• Develop and maintain schematic drawings, test plans, test procedures, and comprehensive test reports
• Collaborate with mission and spacecraft systems engineers, subsystem engineers, and project management through the mission lifecycle
• Contribute to technical concept design and requirements definition for RF payloads and instruments
• Support technical reviews such as design reviews and readiness assessments with expert RF and high-frequency input
• Assist with project budgets and schedules tied to RF and hardware activities
• Lead technical teams through development, including trade studies, prototype design and testing, flight hardware development, integration, and verification
• Mentor team members on best practices for RF, microwave, high-speed analog, and digital hardware design
• Support spacecraft integration and test activities, including off-hours testing when required
• Assist program management with technical insight for sponsors and stakeholders, including status updates
• Apply communications systems theory and RF theory to payload and instrument hardware design and analysis
• Use microwave, electromagnetic, and high-speed digital tools and simulators to model, analyze, and validate designs
• Perform RF characterization and measurements up to Ka-band and beyond, including antenna and RF payload/instrument evaluation
• Contribute to radar systems, military satellite communications systems, sensors, and software-defined radio architectures
• Document design approaches, analyses, and results, and contribute to external publications and technical reports

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering (or equivalent field)
• 7+ years of recent, hands-on experience in RF, microwave, or high-frequency analog or digital hardware design
• Experience delivering spaceflight high-reliability hardware from conceptual design through delivery
• Detailed knowledge of discrete transistor-based circuit design, including test and analysis techniques
• Strong grounding in RF, microwave, high-frequency analog, and digital circuit design principles
• Experience with RF or high-frequency analog and digital CAD tools
• Proficiency in high-speed, RF, and high-density digital circuit layout and packaging
• Ability to conduct circuit-level analysis to determine and optimize performance
• Familiarity with communications systems theory and RF theory
• Experience using tools and simulators including ADS, HFSS, Genesys, FEKO, HyperLynx, and Ansys SIWave
• Proficiency with layout and schematic capture tools including Mentor and Altium
• Experience with software-defined radios, antennas, and RF characterization/measurements to Ka-band or beyond
• Experience with radar systems design and military satellite communications systems and sensors
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours for short periods to support spacecraft-level testing
• Ability and willingness to travel infrequently to customer or sponsor locations and spacecraft integration/test sites
• Ability to obtain a Top Secret level security clearance, if required

Contract Details

• Location: Laurel, MD (onsite)
• Type: Contract to Hire
• Pay Range: $100,000 - $160,000 per yearly (listed as $100000.00 - $160000.00/hr)
• Application Deadline: anticipated to close on Oct 6, 2026

Tools & Technologies

• ADS, HFSS, Genesys, FEKO, HyperLynx, Ansys SIWave
• Mentor, Altium
• MMIC-based transistor technologies, software-defined radio
• Electromagnetic theory, microwave tools and simulators, high-speed digital tools and simulators
• Lumped and distributed element design techniques