Principal RF Systems Engineer - HIL & Simulation

MASS; Little Paxton; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 25 days

Leave buy/sell up to 5 days

Pension schemes

Private Medical & Dental Insurance

Life assurance 4x salary

Save & share schemes

Car leasing (electric/hybrid)

Cycle to work

Retail discounts

CPD

Wellness allowance

Job summary

MASS in St Neots is hiring a Principal RF Systems Engineer specializing in HIL and simulation to lead synthetic range activities and deliver advanced Test & Evaluation capabilities for defence and security programs.

You will work across RF, hardware, software and verification, mentor engineers, and help shape how this emerging capability is designed and deployed from MASS’s new lab, contributing to UK government testing strategies for complex systems across air, land, maritime and space.

Qualifications

• STEM degree or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience creating and integrating HIL/simulation environments.
• Experience with RF systems and verification activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead MASS's synthetic range activities across RF, hardware, software and simulation.
• Develop and apply verification and validation approaches for complex systems.
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to engineers and stakeholders.

Skills

HIL engineering

RF systems

Test & evaluation

Scripting (LabVIEW/Python/MATLAB)

Automation testing

Education

STEM degree or equivalent

Tools

LabVIEW

Python

MATLAB

Wireshark

Git

Job description

Principal RF Systems Engineer - HIL & Simulation - St Neots (PE19) - Permanent - Full Time

• 25 days annual leave (inclusive of December shutdown)
• Buy or sell up to 5 days’ leave
• Two pension schemes
• Private Medical & Dental Insurance
• Life Assurance (4 x salary)
• Save and share schemes
• Electric/Hybrid car leasing
• Cycle to work
• Retail discounts
• Continuous Professional Development
• Annual Wellness Allowance

Interested in Defence Technology? Have experience of developing or integrating HIL or simulation environments within automotive, aerospace, space, robotics, autonomous systems or complex engineering?

Join our growing Electronic Warfare Operations Support Group, EWOS, made up of more than 80 specialists, and help us develop a new generation of Hardware-in-the-Loop, simulation and synthetic Test & Evaluation capability.

This work contributes directly to the UK Government’s future approach to testing and assuring increasingly complex systems across air, land, maritime and space before they are deployed into operational environments.

As the electromagnetic environment becomes increasingly congested and challenging, physical testing alone cannot provide all of the assurance required. We are developing a first-of-its-kind UK capability that combines RF engineering, advanced simulation, synthetic environments and modern verification techniques to recreate complex operational conditions and understand how systems will perform within them.

You’ll be joining while this capability is still evolving, giving you the opportunity to influence how it is designed, integrated and delivered rather than simply operating an established test environment.

The engineering challenges have strong parallels with work across automotive, aerospace, space, robotics, autonomous systems, telecommunications and other advanced engineering sectors.

Your experience does not need to have been gained in defence. If you have worked with RF systems, HIL, simulation, test automation or complex systems verification, this is an opportunity to apply that experience to a new and technically demanding problem space.

You’ll work from our newly built Lab in St Neots, alongside engineers and technical specialists working across RF, Electronic Warfare, simulation and complex systems engineering.

How you’ll support us

As our Principal RF Systems Engineer, you’ll lead MASS’s synthetic range activities, supporting both customer and innovation programmes and delivering synthetic Test & Evaluation trials.

Working across RF, hardware, software and simulation, you’ll help develop modern approaches to Verification and Validation and apply new technologies and engineering techniques to achieve the levels of assurance required for increasingly complex systems.

You’ll provide technical direction to other engineers, act as a key technical point of contact for customers and stakeholders and help shape how the capability develops as new requirements, technologies and engineering challenges emerge.

You’ll also have the scope to bring ideas and approaches from your own engineering background, helping us identify where techniques already proven in other sectors can improve the way complex systems are tested and assured.

Essential experience

• Exerience creating test scripts, programmes or suites using tools such as LabVIEW, Python or MATLAB for Test Bench Equipment, HIL environments or bespoke hardware.
• Experience of synthetic hardware, simulation or testing methods, such as DSI and IQ streaming.
• Experience using laboratory equipment including Network Analysers, Signal Generators and Oscilloscopes.
• Experience carrying out calibration and configuration activities against defined test strategies.
• STEM degree or equivalent relevant experience.

Desirable experience

• Knowledge of RF, radar, communications, sensing or Electronic Warfare systems.
• Experience working on physical, synthetic or virtual trials.
• Experience using version control software such as Git.
• Experience using network analysis tools such as Wireshark or SolarWinds TFTP.
• Experience of analogue circuit design and build within low-power laboratory environments, such as Up/Down Conversion.
• Experience mentoring or coaching other engineers.
• Experience working within agile engineering projects.

Our non-negotiables

• A UK National / eligible to work in the UK
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a UK Government Security Check (SC) / Developed Vetting (DV)-level security clearance

Who is MASS?

MASS is an independent, global technology company, trusted by highly-secure organisations to provide advanced, digital services that manage data and keep information safe. With our heritage in defence, we offer robust solutions to sectors where security expertise is essential.

We work in partnership with customers, using skilled, technical experts. We think innovatively to provide tailored, agile and resilient solutions that secure advantage, so you’re ready for digital transformation. MASS is an equal opportunities employer; we know that our people are smart, skilled and motivated and in return we provide a friendly workplace where everyone is valued and has the chance to make an impact.