Principal RF Engineer I

CesiumAstro; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

CesiumAstro, Cambridge, UK, seeks an experienced Principal RF Engineer I to lead RF circuit design for phased arrays used in satellites and aerospace systems.

You will design RF hardware from concept through manufacturing, mentor teammates, and contribute to proposals, with emphasis on link budgets, modulation schemes, and system integration.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university; MS preferred.
• 9+ years in RF electronics and systems design.
• Proficient with CST/ADS and Altium for simulation and layout.

Responsibilities

• Lead RF circuit, module, and system design from concept to test.
• Develop board-level schematics and RF PCB layouts.
• Contribute to phased array development including front ends and RF subsystems.

Skills

RF electronics design

Schematic design

PCB layout

Phased array systems

Link budgets

Electrical engineering analysis

Education

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering

Tools

CST

ADS

Altium

Job description

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out‑of‑the‑box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross‑functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands‑on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward‑thinking individuals to join our team.

We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward‑thinking individual to join our team as a Principal RF Engineer I. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in board‑level and system‑level RF electronics design. If you enjoy working in a startup environment and are passionate about developing leading‑edge phased arrays for satellites, spacecraft, and aerospace systems, we would like to hear from you.

In this position, you will be responsible for RF circuits, modules, and systems through all phases of the development process. The ideal candidate will be proficient in board‑level schematic design and PCB layout of RF circuits, system‑level communications concepts such as link budgets and modulation schemes, and end‑to‑end RF product development. The work will include many aspects of phased array communication systems, including RF front ends, frequency converters and synthesizers, filters, beamformers, power dividers, and phased array antennas.

As a principal hardware team member, you will be responsible for RF system and hardware designs from initial concept through requirements definition, architecture definition, part selection, detailed design, analysis, manufacturing, testing, qualification, and in‑orbit support of Cesium's products. Hardware design tasks will include block diagrams, detailed schematics, PCB layout and routing, simulations, and test design. Principal Engineers also serve as technical and professional mentors in their field and may be given the opportunity to lead company programs.

The successful candidate will also present engineering design review materials to our customers and executive team, as well as participate in proposal‑writing efforts. As such, excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.

Successful Candidates Will Require

• Bachelor of Science (BS)) degree in Electrical Engineering (EE) from an accredited university or institution. Master of Science (MS) desired.
• Minimum of 9 years of industry experience in design and analysis of RF electronics and systems.
• Expert-level proficiency in professional simulation tools such as CST and ADS, as well as EDA tools such Altium.
• Extensive hands‑on experience with lab instruments such as vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and oscilloscopes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Experience Includes

• Python or other programming languages.
• Aerospace electronics design, development, and qualification.
• Worst‑case circuit analysis, failure method and criticality analyses, and reliability analysis.
• Antenna design
• EMI/EMC design and mitigation techniques.

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

Please be aware that many roles will be subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors including new starter’s nationality, any previous or dual nationalities held, place of birth and country of residence may limit those roles that you can perform for the organisation.

CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members not through our approved vendor list or Talent Acquisition will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.