Radar Signal Processing Engineer III

Job No: 26046
Department: Vice Pres for Research
Work Type: Staff - Full Time
Location: Michigan Tech Research Institute (Ann Arbor, MI)
Full Time / Part Time: Full Time
Categories: Research
Applications Close:

Sub Department: Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI)

Summary

At Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI), we develop advanced technologies that help our nation better understand, sense, and operate within complex natural and human-made environments. Our work spans multidisciplinary research and applied development, advancing ideas from foundational concepts to mission-relevant prototypes. We are seeking a Radar Signal Processing Engineer III to lead development of advanced radar sensing capabilities supporting national security missions. This role focuses on designing and evaluating radar signal processing algorithms, developing sensing architectures, and advancing radar technologies through applied research, development, and evaluation. The successful candidate will serve as a technical leader within research programs, contributing to proposal development, mentoring junior staff, and delivering innovative sensing solutions aligned with sponsor needs.

Responsibilities and Essential Duties

1. Lead development of radar signal processing algorithms for detection, estimation, tracking, classification, and SAR imaging.
2. Design and evaluate radar signal processing chains for sensing applications, including RF and electronic warfare environments.
3. Develop modeling and simulation frameworks to evaluate radar system performance and sensing concepts.
4. Incorporate radar phenomenology and propagation effects into modeling and algorithm development.
5. Design and execute experiments using radar datasets and prototype sensing systems.
6. Collaborate with hardware, RF, and systems engineering teams to integrate algorithms into prototype platforms.
7. Serve as task lead on research projects and mentor junior engineers.
8. Lead development of technical approaches for proposals and contribute to capture strategy.
9. Present technical results to sponsors and external stakeholders.
10. Contribute to publications, conference presentations, and technical reports.
11. Commit to learning about continuous improvement strategies and applying them to everyday work. Actively engage in University continuous improvement initiatives.
12. Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work.

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related field.

Required Experience

1. 8-12 years relevant experience
2. Experience developing radar algorithms using MATLAB, Python, or C++.
3. Experience with radar modeling, simulation, and data analysis.
4. Demonstrated ability to lead technical tasks or projects.

Desirable Education and/or Experience

1. MS or PhD Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related field.
2. 12+ years relevant experience
3. Experience as Principal Investigator (PI) on research projects.
4. Previously lead the execution of research projects, including technical scope, schedule, and deliverables.
5. Ability to provide technical direction for radar sensing approaches within research efforts.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

1. Ability to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance, which requires United States citizenship. Obtaining a national security clearance while holding a dual citizenship will not be possible when the foreign country poses a risk to the national security of the United States.
2. Strong expertise in radar signal processing and statistical signal processing.
3. Strong written and verbal communication skills.
4. Experience with at least one of the following: radar phenomenology and propagation effects, SAR image formation and radar imaging techniques, electronic warfare or RF signal exploitation, radar/RF classification and feature extraction, software defined radio or prototype radar systems, GPU/FPGA acceleration or high-performance computing.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

1. Active government security clearance at Secret level or higher.
2. Demonstrated success in, or potential future contributions to, working with persons with a wide variety of backgrounds and viewpoints.
3. Experience with two or more of the following: radar phenomenology and propagation effects, SAR image formation and radar imaging techniques, electronic warfare or RF signal exploitation, radar/RF classification and feature extraction, software defined radio or prototype radar systems, GPU/FPGA acceleration or high-performance computing.

Work Environment and/or Physical Demands

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.

Required Training and Other Conditions of Employment

Every employee at Michigan Technological University will receive the following 4 required trainings; additional training may be required by the department.

Required University Training:
• Employee Safety Overview
• Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, Retaliation Training
• Annual Data Security Training
• Annual Title IX Training

Additional training will be required by the department on a periodic basis.

Background Check:
Offers of employment are contingent upon and not considered finalized until the required background check has been performed and the results received and assessed.

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) % (1=100%)
1.0

FLSA Status

Exempt

Appointment Term

12 months

Pay Rate/Salary

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Title of Position Supervisor

Research Engineer III

Posting Type

Internal and External

Dependent on Funding

Yes.
This position is contingent upon the continued availability of external funding.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed 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.

If you require any auxiliary aids, services, or accommodations during Michigan Tech's hiring process please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or [email protected].

Other Conditions of Employment:
Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of your appointment, and maintain eligibility without sponsorship throughout your appointment.

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures* (minimum requirements)

Advertised: 18 Apr 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications Close:

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