Principal RF System Engineer

Location: St. Petersburg, FL

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

The Defense Systems group at Leidos currently has an opening for a Principal RF Antenna System Engineer to work in our St. Petersburg, FL office. The Leidos facility in St. Petersburg provides design, development, modeling and simulation, analysis, prototyping and testing of advanced electronic systems, with a focus on embedded communication systems, Software Defined Radios and Phased Array Antenna Systems to various DOD and commercial customers.

Primary Responsibilities

• Perform research, design, and development of electrical equipment and systems.
• Design various RF/Microwave circuit card assemblies and modules including power amplifiers, front end receivers, frequency conversions, filters, and switches from DC to milli-meter wave frequencies
• Perform RF cascaded analysis, link budget, simulation, and hardware evaluation
• Create design schematic using Altium design tool, BOM, and layout requirements for printed wiring board, layer stack-up, component placements, and RF routing
• Generate test procedures/plans, test reports, RF requirements & specifications, and data analysis/presentation
• Perform requirements management & traceability for various antenna systems
• Perform phased array antenna measurements in near and far field ranges
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to junior engineers
• Contribute to future capture/pursuit opportunities, including white papers, RFI responses, or proposal of technical volumes

Basic Qualifications

• Candidate must be a US citizen and able to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance

• Requires BS degree and 10 years minimum of prior relevant experience or Masters with 8 years of prior relevant experience
• Must be well-versed in the following: RF/MW circuit design, high frequency & high-power multilayer PCB-based design, receiver & frequency converter system design including frequency planning & spur analysis, knowledge of various RF components, and knowledge of basic antenna design
• Experience in testing RF parameters and use of RF test equipment including network analysis, spectrum analysis, power meter, frequency source, digital scope, and others.
• Proficient in using Matlab and RF simulation tools such as Microwave Office and Ansys HFSS.
• Experience in HW integration and corresponding HW & SW integration.
• Excellent communication skills- oral and written.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Security Clearance.
• Experienced in phased array antennas and software defined radio (SDR) designs for communication systems.
• Design experience and collaboration across multiple engineering disciplines, such as digital, mechanical, software/firmware, and manufacturing engineering.
• Experience with the following:
  • Hardware design (RF, digital, and analog) to include printed wiring board (PWB) layout, schematic, and wide knowledge of PWB fabrication process and methodologies.
  • Design life cycles and various environmental requirements
  • Antenna measurement and in using nearfield antenna range
• Troubleshooting RF subsystems

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

September 9, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.