Senior RF Engineer

Department: Engineering

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire, Oxford

Key Responsibilities

• Design the analogue high-speed signal path from the drive electronics to the optical source, including driver circuitry, biasing, high-speed serial interfacing, and impedance matching. 
• Evaluate, select, and qualify high-speed driver components against the relevant interface, bandwidth, and drive requirements. 
• Design controlled-impedance, differential RF/microwave PCBs, managing trace geometry, return paths, via structures, and launch design. 
• Own signal integrity across the full electrical path, minimising packaging and interconnect parasitics that limit achievable data rate. 
• Design and characterise the optical receive chain, including photodetector and TIA, with layout optimised for low noise and sensitivity. 
• Apply and tune transmit and receive equalisation to extend usable bandwidth. 
• Carry out S-parameter measurement, eye-diagram and jitter analysis, and high-speed probing to separate intrinsic device performance from packaging effects. 
• Build and maintain RF link budgets, and translate findings into structured feedback for the device and photonics teams. 
• Where experience allows, contribute to the wider electronic design — schematic capture, PCB layout, power and voltage-regulator design, and FPGA integration and bring-up while the team grows. 
• Document results and contribute to the characterisation data that drives design iteration. 

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Degree (BEng/MEng) or PhD in Electronic Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, Physics, or a related field, with substantial relevant experience at senior level (typically 6+ years). 
• Proven RF/microwave PCB design: controlled impedance, differential pairs, via management, and launch design at high frequencies. 
• High-speed serial interfaces, including AC coupling and biasing for high-speed signal paths. 
• Evaluating and qualifying high-speed driver and amplifier components. 
• S-parameter (VNA) measurement, calibration, and high-speed probing. 
• Signal-integrity simulation (for example HyperLynx, Ansys SI, ADS, or similar). 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and the discipline to work to a measured link budget. 

• Broader schematic capture and board design using eCAD tools such as Altium, across digital and mixed-signal designs beyond the RF path. 
• Power electronics and voltage-regulator design (linear and switching), and power-integrity analysis. 
• FPGA circuit-level integration and bring-up. 
• Board-level architecture and full-lifecycle electronic design — architect, design, implement, and verify. 
• Digital video interfacing (for example HDMI) or comparable high-bandwidth digital protocols. 
• Photodetector / TIA receive-chain design and an understanding of high-speed eye-margin trade-offs. 
• Hardware bring-up, verification, and characterisation across mixed-signal designs. 
• A proven track record of delivering high-speed electronics into production. 

Benefits

• Pension scheme 
• Private medical & dental insurance 
• 28 days’ holiday + bank holidays
• Relocation support 
• Visa support available