RF / DSP Engineer

Spine; Berlin; Híbrido; EUR 65.000 - 125.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Equity participation programme

Descripción de la vacante

Needle in Berlin is seeking a signal processing engineer to own RF DSP on real hardware at live critical infrastructure sites. The role focuses on detecting and classifying drone signals from IQ data, with edge processing and on-site testing.

You will work on direction finding and localisation, field truth, and integration with fusion and field teams to deliver actionable tracks. Open to seniority with equity participation and a practical take-home challenge.

Formación

• Built signal processing algorithms that run on real-world signals (not just simulations).
• Comfortable with SDR hardware and IQ data.
• Experience in radar/communications/SIGINT signal processing is a plus.

Responsabilidades

• Detection and classification of drone signals from IQ data on edge hardware.
• Direction finding and localisation using phase/amplitude DF, TDoA, and synchronization.
• Field truth: record, label and replay real captures to validate detection on live sites.
• Integration: work with fusion and field teams to land detections as actionable tracks.

Conocimientos

Signal processing

Rust

C++

Python

SDR hardware

Descripción del empleo

Full Time Berlin, on-site €65,000–125,000 (depending on level)

Location: Berlin, on-site, with occasional field tests | Type: Full time, permanent | Reports to: CTO | Range: €65,000–125,000 depending on level | Language: English

Spine builds sensor towers and the software that let operators of critical infrastructure see what's happening on their sites: substations, gas facilities, solar parks, logistics hubs. The hardware detects. The platform correlates and tells one person in a control room the one thing worth their attention.

Drones are one of the threats our towers have to catch, and RF is how we see them before cameras can. Our towers carry SDRs listening for drone control and video links. This role owns the signal processing that turns raw IQ into a detected, classified and located drone, in the field and not just in simulation. Later, the same person is likely to take on radar.

What You'll Own

Detection and classification. The DSP chain from IQ capture to "this is a drone link, and this is what kind", running on our edge hardware against real-world signals.

Direction finding and localisation. Taking us from "there is a drone" to "it's over there": phase/amplitude DF, TDoA, and the synchronisation they need.

Field truth. Recording, labelling and replaying real captures, so we know how well detection actually works on a live site.

Integration. Working with the fusion and field teams so RF detections land as tracks operators can act on.

What We're Looking For

You've built signal processing algorithms that run on real-world signals in shipping code (Rust, C++ or Python), beyond simulation alone.

You're comfortable with SDR hardware and working directly with IQ data.

If you come from radar, communications or SIGINT signal processing rather than drones specifically, we want to hear from you.

Nice to Have

Direction finding or localisation (phase/amplitude DF, TDoA, multi-receiver coherence)

Drone protocols (Remote ID, DJI DroneID, OcuSync-class links)

Radar signal processing, e.g. mmWave (TI AWR-class)

Antenna and propagation intuition, on the bench and in the field

Why Spine

You'd own RF sensing end to end, working directly with the CTO.

Real hardware on your desk and deployed at live critical infrastructure sites.

A young, VC-backed company, with an employee equity participation programme.

We're open on seniority: the range above reflects that, and we'll level the role to the person.

How We Hire

An intro call, then a take-home challenge on a real RF problem. It's open-ended on purpose: we care about your reasoning, not polish. You present it to us and we decide quickly after that.