Senior RF Front-End Design Engineer - Satellite User Terminals

Team: Antenna Systems

Location: Arlington, TX

Commitment: Full-Time

Workplace Type: onsite

Salary:

Your mission

Deliver efficient, reliable terminal RF front ends that meet link requirements, integrate cleanly with the antenna and modem, and can be tested and manufactured consistently.

What you will own

RF architecture and delivery. Own front-end designs from system requirements and architecture through schematic capture, PCB layout, prototype bring-up, verification, and production release.
Transmit and receive chains. Develop chains using power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, filters, duplexers, diplexers, switches, couplers, attenuators, mixers, synthesizers, transceivers, and frequency-conversion devices.
Link and cascade analysis. Translate link budgets into specifications for output power, sensitivity, noise figure, gain, linearity, dynamic range, bandwidth, EVM, adjacent-channel performance, phase noise, spurious emissions, and efficiency. Analyze P1dB, IP3, compression, and link margin.
Circuit and PCB design. Design matching, bias, stability, detector, and protection circuits. Select components based on performance, power, thermal behavior, size, availability, cost, manufacturability, and reliability. Review controlled-impedance stackups, grounding, shielding, isolation, placement, and RF routing.
Duplexing and coexistence. Develop architectures for TDD, FDD, or simultaneous transmit and receive as required. Assess transmitter leakage, receiver desensitization, harmonics, intermodulation, oscillator leakage, switching noise, and digital interference.
Terminal integration. Integrate the front end with the antenna, modem, baseband processor, ADC/DAC, firmware, power system, enclosure, and thermal solution. Resolve electrical and mechanical interfaces with partner teams.
Characterization and optimization. Use VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters, noise-figure analyzers, oscilloscopes, and communications analyzers to measure gain, sensitivity, output power, EVM, ACPR/ACLR, spurious performance, stability, and efficiency.
Production and environmental readiness. Correlate simulation with measurement, drive corrective actions, support applicable environmental testing, and develop production calibration, test limits, automated methods, and manufacturing verification strategies.

How you lead

Decisive ownership. Turn requirements into clear design decisions, test plans, and acceptance criteria, and close issues through verified results.
System-level thinking. Consider antenna, modem, power, thermal, digital, and enclosure effects when evaluating RF performance and design tradeoffs.
Direct collaboration. Communicate technical risks and schedule impacts early, coordinate interfaces, and make recommendations understandable to both specialists and system teams.
Reliable execution. Build repeatable design and validation practices and share knowledge with engineers and technicians.

What you bring

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
Typically 7+ years of hands-on RF or microwave hardware design experience.
Experience taking RF front-end hardware from requirements through production release.
Strong understanding of transmit/receive architectures, matching, gain, noise figure, linearity, stability, dynamic range, and filtering.
Experience with ADS, AWR, or equivalent RF simulation tools, schematic capture, RF PCB layout review, prototype bring-up, debugging, and characterization.
Experience with PAs, LNAs, filters, switches, mixers, synthesizers, transceivers, or related RF components.
Hands-on experience using VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters, and other RF laboratory equipment.
Ability to correlate simulated and measured results, resolve RF performance problems systematically, and communicate across disciplines.
Preferred: satellite communication terminals, modem-to-antenna signal chains, PA or receiver optimization, TDD/FDD isolation, coexistence, EMI/EMC, automated RF test, and production experience.

What success looks like

The RF front end meets approved terminal link and RF requirements with measured performance that supports system integration; risks and discrepancies are resolved; and production calibration and test methods provide repeatable, reliable hardware.

Additional Requirements

This is a fast-paced, high-impact environment - flexibility to occasionally work extended hours or weekends during critical periods is expected.