Principal Communications System Test Engineer - Verification and Validation

Team: Advanced Product Development

Location: Austin, TX

Commitment: Full-time

Workplace Type: onsite

The successful candidate will communicate effectively with team members and internal stakeholders, both verbally and through written content.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead communication system integration and test. Define and execute test strategies across components, subsystems, phased-array payloads, and end-to-end communication links, including interfaces with ground systems. 

• Develop verification and validation plans. Translate system requirements and mission concepts of operations (CONOPS) into testable acceptance criteria, test cases, and operational scenarios. Maintain traceability between requirements, test procedures, results, and verification closure. 

• Own hands-on system bring-up and troubleshooting. Integrate RF hardware, antennas, digital processing, FPGA firmware, software, modems, and data interfaces. Diagnose and resolve issues that affect system functionality, interoperability, and performance. 

• Develop automated test capabilities. Create and maintain test scripts, software, procedures, and data-analysis tools to support repeatable characterization, regression testing, qualification, and acceptance testing. 

• Characterize RF and communication-link performance. Measure and analyze transmit power, receiver sensitivity, gain, noise figure, linearity, modulation quality, spectral performance, and bit/packet error rates. Compare measured results with link budgets, gain lineups, cascade analyses, and system models. 

• Verify phased-array performance. Develop and execute conducted and over-the-air tests to evaluate beam steering, beam-pointing accuracy, radiation patterns, sidelobes, polarization, and performance across frequency, scan angle, and operating conditions. 

• Validate modem and data-layer operation. Test configurations, interoperability, synchronization, throughput, latency, and error recovery under nominal, degraded, and boundary conditions. 

• Develop representative test environments. Define and configure laboratory test benches, hardware-in-the-loop setups, and channel-emulation capabilities to evaluate system behavior under mission-representative conditions, including attenuation, propagation delay, Doppler, and interference. 

• Lead failure analysis and corrective-action verification. Investigate anomalies, isolate root causes across hardware and software interfaces, document findings, and verify corrective actions through targeted testing and regression coverage. 

• Support environmental qualification and acceptance. Coordinate communication-system testing with environmental and electromagnetic compatibility teams, and assess functionality and performance before, during, and after testing, as applicable. 

• Lead test readiness and results reviews. Establish entry and exit criteria, assess test coverage and data quality, document limitations and residual risks, and produce technical reports that support system acceptance and readiness decisions. 

• Drive testability and program execution. Work with design teams, component developers, and vendors to improve observability, diagnostic capabilities, and interface test coverage. Define test scope, equipment, facilities, resources, schedules, and risks for proposals and program planning. 

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
• 11+ years of experience in space communications, including substantial hands-on experience in communication system integration, testing, verification, and validation 
• Very strong background in communication theory, with the ability to connect measured system behavior to modulation, coding, synchronization, channel effects, and link performance. 
• Deep understanding of RF concept, impairments, and their effects on communication performance, with demonstrated experience characterizing and troubleshooting RF signal chains.  
• Hands-on experience with RF and digital test equipment, such as spectrum and vector signal analyzers, signal generators, network analyzers, power meters, oscilloscopes, and communication test sets. Understanding of calibration, measurement uncertainty, and test repeatability . 
• Experience developing test plans, procedures, acceptance criteria, verification matrices, and technical reports, including requirements management, flow-down, and traceability. 
• Experience with at least one scripting and one programming language (ideally Python & C++) for test automation, equipment control, data collection, and analysis.  
• Practical experience integrating, testing, and debugging FPGA-based systems and modern vector processing engines. 
• Experience with satellite communication standards, including NR NTN, DVB-S2X, and CCSDS, and the ability to translate applicable requirements into test cases and verification evidence. 
• Experience working with classified communication systems and red/black architectures, as well as experience with optical communication systems
• Ability to hold a security clearance.
• Excellent written and verbal technical communication skills.
• Ability to define work direction, track milestones, and demonstrate progress on large open-ended projects.
• Sense of urgency, with the ability to work well under pressure. 
• The ability to work well in teams, with peers and management.