Role Summary
Specter Aerospace is seeking an RF Engineer to develop and implement telemetry, communications, and antenna systems for high-speed flight vehicles. This role will focus on RF system architecture, link budgets, range and propagation analysis, antenna design and integration, hardware selection, and system testing.
A successful candidate will have experience working with RF communications or telemetry hardware and evaluating system performance through analysis, laboratory testing, and field testing. The candidate will work closely with avionics, embedded software, mechanical, GNC, and test engineers to develop systems supporting Specter's experimental and flight vehicle programs.
Role Responsibilities
- Develop RF telemetry and communications architectures for high-speed flight vehicles and ground systems.
- Perform link budgets, range calculations, propagation analysis, and RF system performance modeling.
- Design, select, integrate, and test antennas, radios, amplifiers, filters, cables, and other RF components.
- Define RF interfaces and requirements for vehicle avionics, antennas, and ground station equipment.
- Evaluate antenna placement, vehicle integration constraints, radiation patterns, and expected link performance.
- Develop laboratory and field testing protocols for RF system shakedown, characterization, and validation.
- Diagnose RF hardware, antenna, interference, and communications issues using laboratory test equipment.
- Support vehicle integration, ground testing, range coordination, and flight-test operations.
- Analyze telemetry performance and RF data following laboratory, field, and flight tests.
- Take ownership of assigned RF systems from initial requirements through implementation, testing, and documentation.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, or a related field.
- Three or more years of relevant professional experience.
- Experience developing, integrating, or testing RF communications, telemetry, or antenna systems.
- Experience performing link budgets, range calculations, or RF propagation analysis.
- Familiarity with antenna fundamentals, RF components, transmission lines, and impedance matching.
- Experience using RF laboratory equipment such as spectrum analyzers, vector network analyzers, signal generators, or power meters.
- Ability to interpret RF component datasheets, schematics, interface documentation, and test results.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a drive to produce high-quality work.
- Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience developing telemetry or communications systems for aerospace, defense, missile, launch vehicle, or other high-reliability applications.
- Experience designing or integrating antennas into constrained vehicle structures.
- Familiarity with antenna simulation, electromagnetic modeling, or RF system simulation tools.
- Experience with S-band, C-band, L-band, or other telemetry and communications frequency bands.
- Familiarity with modulation, coding, receiver sensitivity, noise, interference, and communications system performance.
- Experience with flight termination, GPS, telemetry ground stations, or flight-test range systems.
- Familiarity with Python, MATLAB, or other tools for RF modeling and test-data analysis.
- Experience supporting field tests, flight tests, or range operations.
