Senior RF Engineer II

CesiumAstro; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

CesiumAstro, based near Cambridge, seeks a Senior RF Engineer II to lead board‑level RF electronics design for satellites and aerospace systems. You will own RF circuits through all phases, including schematic design and PCB layout, and contribute to link budgets and modulation concepts for phased array front‑ends.

The ideal candidate has 6+ years in RF design, hands‑on lab experience with VNAs, spectrum analyzers, and oscilloscopes, and excellent written and verbal communication to present

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
• 6+ years of RF design, analysis, test and troubleshooting experience.
• Experience with CST, ADS, and Altium.
• Hands-on experience with lab instruments: VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead RF circuit and system design through all development phases, from concept to qualification.
• Perform schematic design and PCB layout of RF circuits for front-end and phased array systems.
• Analyze link budgets and modulation schemes for robust communications.
• Present engineering designs and reviews to customers and executive teams.

Skills

RF electronics design

Schematic design

PCB layout

Link budgets

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor/Master of Science in Electrical Engineering

Tools

CST

ADS

Altium

Vector network analyzers

Spectrum analyzers

Oscilloscopes

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 looking to add a Senior RF Engineer II to our team. The ideal candidate has experience in board-level RF electronics design. If you enjoy working in a startup environment and are passionate about developing leading-edge RF hardware for satellites, spacecraft, and aerospace systems, we would like to hear from you.

In this position, you will be responsible for RF circuits 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, and system-level communications concepts such as link budgets and modulation schemes. 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 Cesium hardware team member, you will be responsible for RF hardware designs from initial concept through requirements 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.

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.

Job Requirements And Minimum Qualifications

• A Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degree in Electrical Engineering (EE) from an accredited university or institution.
• 6+ years of industry experience in design and analysis of RF electronics design, analysis, test, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with professional simulation tools such as CST and ADS, as well as EDA tools such Altium.
• 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

• Experience with MATLAB or other programming languages.
• Experience in aerospace electronics design, development, and qualification.
• Knowledge of worst-case circuit analysis, failure method and criticality analyses, and reliability analysis.
• Experience with antenna design.
• Knowledge of 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.

As a note: 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. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.