Direction Finding (DF)/Antenna RF Engineer

Thales Defense & Security, Inc.

$95K — $120K *
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • U.S. Citizenship required due to potential access to classified information.
  • MSEE or equivalent in Electrical Engineering focusing on Electromagnetics, Antenna Theory, or Microwave Engineering.
  • Strong interest in antenna design demonstrated through coursework or practical projects.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of antenna theory, RF propagation, and direction finding techniques.
  • Basic understanding of direction finding algorithms, including correlation and Eigen Vector methods.
  • Familiarity with various antenna performance metrics like gain and beamwidth.
  • Proficient in using RF simulation software such as HFSS and Matlab.

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate with engineering teams to design circular array antennas for 360-degree coverage.
  • Develop advanced direction finding algorithms.
  • Work on RF design tasks including requirements definition and prototype testing.
  • Test and optimize antennas and associated RF components to meet product requirements.
  • Conduct system level analysis for RF propagation and link budgets.
  • Assist in the development of advanced antenna prototypes and their subsystems.
  • Engage in technical trade studies to select RF architectures and components.

Benefits

  • Support for continuous improvement and team building initiatives.
  • Access to mentorship from senior RF design staff.
  • Opportunity to work on cutting-edge RF technology and advanced prototypes.
  • Exposure to various aspects of RF engineering under a collaborative team environment.
Full Job Description
We are seeking a Direction Finding (DF)/ Antenna RF Engineer to work in our Germantown, MD office. This position reports to the Engineering Director.

Responsibilities

  • Work within multidisciplined engineering project teams as an RF design engineer to design and develop circular array antennas to provide 360-degree spatial azimuth coverage and precise direction finding by evaluating phase and amplitude across symmetrically spaced elements.
  • Participate in the development of advanced direction finding algorithms.
  • Participate in small RF engineering teams and/or work under the supervision of a senior member of the RF design staff to define requirements, conceive, document, analyze/simulate, build prototypes, perform verification testing, debug, and optimize antenna and algorithm designs to meet requirements at the product level.
  • Design/source, analyze/simulate, test and optimize antennas, external RF amplifiers, and ancillaries for use with products to achieve overall product performance requirements.
  • Perform system level analysis to study RF propagation, range estimates, link budgets, cascade analysis, and sensitivity calculations.
  • Support prototype development of advanced antennas and supporting RF subsystems, including fabrication and assembly of early prototypes.
  • Contribute to technical trade studies and analyses to select RF architecture and key components.
  • Assist other RF team members to develop and implement detailed design specifications, test plans and test procedures.
  • Verify product performance vs. predictions for prototype products and production hardware products.
  • Participate in continuous improvement and team building activities. Maintain productive working relationships with all team members.
  • Complete assigned tasks in a quality and timely manner.
  • Effectively support and communicate to management status, issues, needs and ideas.


Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • U.S. Citizenship required. - Applicants selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
  • MSEE or equivalent experience in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Electromagnetics, Antenna Theory, or Microwave Engineering.
  • Interest in antenna theory, antenna design, and electromagnetics, supported by relevant graduate coursework, laboratory experience, or research projects.
  • In-depth theoretical knowledge of antenna theory and direction finding techniques, and RF propagation.
  • Basic knowledge and understanding of DF algorithms - correlation and Eigen Vector methods
  • Must be accustomed to working with various antenna performance parameters including gain, beamwidth, patterns/sidelobes/nulls, and efficiency.
  • Experience is desired utilizing engineering development software tools including RF propagation simulation, HFSS, Microwave Office, ADS, Genesys, Matlab, and Microsoft Office tools.
  • Experience using Software Defined Radios (SDRs).
  • Hands-on experience is highly desired using RF test equipment and facilities, including spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, power meters, and RF anechoic chambers.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
  • Ability to think "out-of-the-box", develop, and implement innovation design solutions.
  • Ability to comply with all Company guidelines, policies, procedures and embrace Company Core Values.


The annualized pay range for this role is $95,000.00 - $120,000.00 USD along with a target incentive compensation plan (ICP) of 5%. The pay range provided is a good faith estimate representative of the experience level for the role described above. TDSI considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

For specific questions about this job posting, candidates may contact talent acquisition at [redacted].

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