Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, physics, aerospace engineering, or a related field (master's preferred)
6+ years designing, integrating, or testing radar systems, including ownership of a major subsystem through hardware test
Deep knowledge of radar physics and electromagnetics, including noise figure, phase noise, and link budgets
Strong DSP background with real-time radar detection and tracking implementation
Proficiency in C++ and Python with real-time or embedded systems experience
Hands-on lab testing of FMCW, pulsed Doppler, or AESA architectures using spectrum analyzers, VNAs, and oscilloscopes
Experience sourcing RF components and making make-vs-buy decisions
Responsibilities
Define the seeker architecture and lead make-vs-buy decisions on radar sensors and components
Own transmit and receive chain analysis, including link budgets and noise figure
Integrate antennas with the airframe and radome
Specify high-speed data interfaces between the seeker and avionics
Select and manage RF component and subsystem suppliers
Build low-latency detection and tracking pipelines, including Doppler processing
Develop clutter rejection and electronic countermeasure resilience
Implement and optimize processing on the flight processor
Own the seeker-to-guidance interface and work with GNC to fuse radar tracks with onboard state estimates
Design RF test rigs and run hardware-in-the-loop testing
Benefits
Opportunity to lead and build a dedicated seeker team
Hands-on involvement in cutting-edge radar technology
Collaboration with founders and cross-functional engineering teams
Potential for significant impact on next-generation interceptor systems
On-site work environment fostering teamwork and innovation
Full Job Description
Senior RF Engineer - Own the radar seeker that guides a next-generation interceptor to its target
El Segundo, California | On-site
Opportunity Summary
This role owns the radar seeker end to end, from the RF front end through signal processing to the target tracks that feed guidance. The seeker is what tells the interceptor precisely where to strike, and you will be its technical owner.
You will make the core architecture and make-vs-buy calls, build out RF test infrastructure, and work hand in hand with the founders and with GNC, avionics, and mechanical engineers to move the seeker from bench to live intercept. As the program expands, you will help hire and lead a dedicated seeker team.
Job Duties
Define the seeker architecture and lead make-vs-buy decisions on radar sensors, front-end components, and processing hardware
Own transmit and receive chain analysis, including link budgets, noise figure, and phase noise
Integrate antennas with the airframe and radome
Specify high-speed data interfaces between the seeker and avionics, such as ADCs, DACs, and PCIe
Select and manage RF component and subsystem suppliers
Build low-latency detection and tracking pipelines, including Doppler processing, range-Doppler mapping, and CFAR
Develop clutter rejection and electronic countermeasure resilience
Implement and optimize processing on the flight processor (FPGA, GPU, or embedded CPU)
Own the seeker-to-guidance interface and work with GNC to fuse radar tracks with IMU, GPS, and onboard state estimates for terminal guidance
Design RF test rigs and run hardware-in-the-loop testing with anechoic chambers, scene generators, RCS references, and flight dynamics models
Lead seeker testing from lab bench through environmental qualification and flight
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, physics, aerospace engineering, or a related field (master's preferred)
6+ years designing, integrating, or testing radar systems, including ownership of a major subsystem through hardware test
Deep knowledge of radar physics and electromagnetics, including noise figure, phase noise, and link budgets
Strong DSP background with real-time radar detection and tracking implementation
Proficiency in C++ and Python with real-time or embedded systems experience
Hands-on lab testing of FMCW, pulsed Doppler, or AESA architectures using spectrum analyzers, VNAs, and oscilloscopes
Experience sourcing RF components and making make-vs-buy decisions
U.S. Person status required (ITAR) and ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance
Preferred Experience
Missile seeker, air-to-air, counter-ballistic tracking, or EW resilience experience
FPGA signal processing (VHDL or Verilog) or GPU acceleration for radar
Antenna arrays, beamforming, radome integration, or atmospheric attenuation modeling
RCS modeling and synthetic target generation
High-G, vibration, and thermal environmental testing such as MIL-STD-810
