Radio Frequency Engineering Manager

Manager RF Hardware Engineering – Spaceborne RADAR

Southern California | Full-time | On-site

Up to $200,000 Gross Per Annum + RSU + Benefits

Are you passionate about radar and space technologies?

Are you looking for an opportunity to work on systems deployed into the orbit?

Here is an opportunity to join a fast-growing operator of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, with one of the most established commercial constellations in orbit today. Their satellites image any point on Earth, day or night and through any weather, for defense, intelligence, emergency response and scientific customers across the US and allied nations.

The US business is now developing its next generation of spaceborne SAR payloads and, for the first time, full space vehicles. This is a chance to build the RF hardware function that makes that happen.

You'll lead the engineering team responsible for payload RF hardware, radar systems and communications hardware. You'll own the RF architecture across the SAR payload, radar subsystems and vehicle-level comms, from antenna arrays and RF front ends to high-speed digitizers and data links.

You'll take proven, flight-heritage SAR payload designs and adapt them into US products. At the same time, you'll lay the RF foundation for full spacecraft development. You'll be the RF technical authority at every lifecycle review and drive the team to a verified, integrated flight article ready for environmental test and launch.

What you'll do

• Lead, mentor and grow a team of RF hardware, radar and communications engineers, owning hiring, onboarding and career development.
• Own RF subsystem execution across work breakdown, scheduling, resourcing, risk and reporting against SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR and FRR.
• Set the RF engineering standards the team works to, covering analysis methods, test automation, documentation and verification readiness.
• Own the RF architecture for SAR payloads and space vehicles, including transmit/receive chains, high-speed digitizers, low-noise circuits, power amplifiers and RF front ends.
• Direct antenna and phased array analysis, including gain, beam pattern, polarization, scan performance and mutual coupling.
• Partner with FPGA firmware and embedded software engineers on high-speed digital interfaces, timing architectures and data acquisition chains.
• Own vehicle and payload communications hardware, including uplink/downlink, inter-subsystem RF links and ground interfaces, and close end-to-end link performance against mission requirements.
• Own the concept of operations and translate mission-level goals into RF subsystem and engineering requirements.
• Act as the RF counterpart to systems, mechanical, thermal, avionics, software, firmware and program management.

What you'll bring

• 8+ years in RF hardware engineering, including spacecraft or payload RF design through the full lifecycle.
• 2+ years leading or managing a multi-discipline RF or hardware team.
• Deep hands-on background in high-speed digitizers, low-noise RF circuits, antennas and phased arrays, and RF front-end integration.
• RF test and validation experience covering anechoic testing, phased array characterization, test automation and data analysis.
• Experience deriving RF requirements from mission-level performance goals.
• Strong microwave and RF analysis skills in Python or similar.
• A working understanding of SAR imaging concepts and system design.
• An advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in Electrical, Computer or RF/Microwave Engineering, or a related field.

Nice to have

• 4+ years hands-on in SAR payload design, integration and test.
• Communications hardware design for space vehicles, including link margin analysis.
• Spacecraft AIT and environmental test experience (vibration, TVAC, EMI/EMC).
• Formal verification and validation of space-rated RF systems.
• Radar architecture, waveform design or pulse compression experience.
• Contributions to RFIs, RFPs and technical proposals.

Why join

You'll get technical ownership of a flagship radar payload and a new space vehicle program at a company with real hardware already in orbit. You'll build a team and a function from the ground up, and your work will directly support customers who rely on it when it matters most.

Interested?

Apply or contact EVONA for a confidential conversation.