The Role: Principal RF Engineer
Join us as an RF Telemetry Engineer and help design, build and flight test revolutionary propulsion technology. You'll lead assessment of link budgets, design of both ground stations and onboard radio and antenna systems, and system testing to ensure we gather critical test data. This role blends analysis, mission planning, hands-on engineering, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to deliver reliable, flight-ready systems. If you excel at systems thinking, flight systems implementations and solving hard problems, you'll thrive here.

What You'll Get To Do

• Design, build and fly your systems
• Lead the architecture, design, and selection of telemetry hardware, radios, antennas and ground stations
• Conduct link analysis on a range of flight regimes as we rapidly improve our vehicle capabilities
• Design ground stations and ground station networks to capture flight data and send commands
• Deconflict frequency plans in different launch environments
• Define requirements, conduct trade studies and select radios and antennas to complete the mission
• Develop and maintain hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) test environments to support software development, integration, and verification
• Support system integration, ground testing, and flight testing, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis
• Assess system risks and recommend mitigations
• Collaborate with external vendors and suppliers to define requirements, evaluate components, manage technical trade studies, and support procurement
• Author and review technical documentation, including requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), schematics, test plans, and verification reports
• Collaborate with Flight Software, Avionics, IT, GN&C, Aerodynamics, and Structures engineering disciplines to ascertain system requirements and meet technical program needs
• Collaborate with Manufacturing and Quality to ensure your systems are ready to fly

What You Have

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related field. Alternatively, Radar Systems or Data Science experience, with a strong quantitative and mechanical measurements foundation
• 5+ years of experience in RF telemetry in rocket, missile or space applications
• Experience conducting link analysis for flight vehicles in the supersonic and hypersonic flight regimes
• Experience writing requirements, conducting trade studies, selecting onboard antennas, and radios
• Experience placing and designing ground systems to receive data from and send commands
• Experience implementing and troubleshooting grounding, bonding, and shielding solutions for analog-to-digital instrumentation signals in multi-band RF environments
• Strong background in hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing and integration
• Experience working with and managing outside vendors, including technical evaluations and supplier coordination
• Strong troubleshooting and systems-level thinking skills
• Experience with environmental testing and qualification
• Key Competencies: systems-level avionics expertise; cross-functional collaboration; vendor and supplier management; clear technical communication

What Will Set You Apart

• Strong experience with small vehicle avionics teams
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with diverse teams
• Familiarity with embedded systems, buses and protocols (CAN, UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, MIL-STD-1553, etc.).
• Experience managing contractors for consulting or hardware production
• Multiple launch campaigns under your belt
• Experience contributing to design reviews and flight safety reviews with range stakeholders

Location:On-site in Houston, TX

Benefits:Venus Aerospace employee benefits include a 401(k) plan, stock options, and medical benefits, including dental and vision. We have a flex-Friday flexible schedule, unlimited PTO, and receive professional development opportunities.

ITAR Requirements

This position involves access to technology that is subject to U.S. export controls. Any job offer made will be contingent upon the applicant's capacity to serve in compliance with U.S. export controls. To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be able to meet ITAR requirements (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State). You can learn more about ITARhere.