Senior SIGINT / RF Sensing & Signal Processing Engineer

DeltaQuad; Duivendrecht; On-site; EUR 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 vacation days

Flexible working hours

Travel reimbursement

Pension scheme

Lunch provided

Team activities

Job summary

DeltaQuad is seeking a Senior SIGINT / RF Sensing & Signal Processing Engineer to own the RF sensing chain from antennas to geolocated information. You will develop airborne and ground-based capabilities for spectrum awareness, emitter analysis and geolocation, using SDRs, coherent receivers and edge computing to turn sensing concepts into operational systems in challenging environments.

Collaborate with RF, software and flight-test teams to mature capabilities for controlled releases and travel

Qualifications

• 5+ years of RF sensing or SIGINT experience.
• Strong RF and DSP knowledge.
• Experience with SDRs and coherent receivers.
• Proficient in Python and C/C++.
• Experience with geolocation techniques.

Responsibilities

• Define RF sensing architectures and budgets.
• Integrate antennas, filters, LNAs, SDRs and edge compute hardware.
• Develop capture, channelisation, filtering, FFT, detection and replay pipelines.
• Characterise signal presence, frequency, bandwidth, occupancy and emitter activity.
• Design and validate direction-finding and geolocation methods.
• Collaborate with RF, software and flight-test engineers to mature capabilities.

Skills

Python

C/C++

RF sensing

DSP

SDRs

Coherent receivers

Signal processing

Direction finding

Beamforming

AoA

TDOA

FDOA

Emitter geolocation

IQ data

Geolocation geometry

Education

Bachelor/Master degree

Tools

SDRs

Coherent receivers

Spectrum analysers

Job description

About DeltaQuad

DeltaQuad develops autonomous UAV systems for demanding operational environments. Our platforms are built to perform where reliability, resilience and operational readiness are critical.

About the Resilience Team

The Resilience team bridges engineering and operations. We develop, validate and strengthen technologies that improve the resilience and operational effectiveness of our UAV platforms. By combining engineering expertise with real-world testing and operational feedback, we ensure our systems are ready for deployment in challenging environments.

The Role

As a Senior SIGINT / RF Sensing & Signal Processing Engineer, you own the complete RF sensing chain from antennas and raw IQ data to detected, characterised, classified and geolocated information.

You will develop airborne and ground-based capabilities for spectrum awareness, emitter analysis, jammer and spoofer localisation, recording, replay and operator visualisation. Using SDRs, coherent receivers and edge computing, you will turn sensing concepts into calibrated operational systems.

What You'll Do

• Define RF sensing architectures and budgets covering sensitivity, dynamic range, bandwidth, scan rate, timing, storage, coverage and SWaP-C.
• Select and integrate antennas, filters, LNAs, switches, SDRs, coherent receivers, timing sources and edge-compute hardware.
• Develop capture, channelisation, filtering, FFT, detection, feature-extraction, recording, metadata and replay pipelines.
• Characterise signal presence, frequency, bandwidth, occupancy, modulation features, pulse behaviour and emitter activity.
• Develop classification and prioritisation methods with quantified confidence, detection probability and false-alarm behaviour.
• Design and validate direction-finding and geolocation using AoA, TDOA, FDOA, coherent arrays or distributed sensors.
• Develop localisation capabilities for GNSS-band interference and other mission-relevant emitters.
• Create calibration methods for receiver gain, frequency error, phase coherence, timing and antenna-pattern effects.
• Integrate platform position, attitude, timing and ground truth into repeatable geolocation solutions.
• Build secure data pipelines, operator visualisations, datasets and emitter libraries with traceable metadata.
• Execute laboratory, ground, range and airborne tests against known emitters and measured ground truth.
• Collaborate with RF, software, avionics and flight-test engineers to mature capabilities for controlled release.

Who you are

At DeltaQuad, we value mindset as much as experience. You are analytical, curious and motivated by difficult RF challenges. You enjoy turning theory and raw data into practical systems.

You work methodically from assumptions and error budgets through calibration, measurement and validation. You understand that a convincing visualisation is not the same as proven sensor performance, and you communicate uncertainty and limitations clearly. Flight testing and deployments may require international travel or participation in a formally managed out-of-hours support arrangement.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Signal Processing, Applied Physics, Computer Engineering or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in RF sensing, SDR development, SIGINT, electronic support, communications intelligence or signal processing.
• Proven experience taking a sensing or geolocation capability from theory through calibration, testing and operational demonstration.
• Strong RF and DSP knowledge, including sensitivity, dynamic range, sampling, aliasing, FFTs, filtering, detection and synchronisation.
• Practical experience with SDRs, coherent receivers, spectrum analysers, RF signal generators and calibrated test setups.
• Strong Python and C/C++ skills; MATLAB, FPGA, GPU or real-time DSP experience is an advantage.
• Experience with direction finding, beamforming, AoA, TDOA, FDOA, coherent arrays or emitter geolocation.
• Understanding of timing, phase coherence, antenna patterns, platform motion and geolocation geometry.
• Experience processing IQ datasets and managing metadata, replay, synchronisation and data quality.
• Sound judgement regarding legal authorisation, sensitive-data handling and controlled access.

Why DeltaQuad

• Work on technology with direct operational impact.
• Develop RF sensing capabilities for autonomous UAVs.
• Work with SDRs, signal processing, geolocation and edge computing.
• Take ownership from architecture and algorithm development through airborne validation and deployment.
• See your work tested, flown and used in real-world environments.

What we offer

• Coaching and professional growth opportunities
• 27 vacation days (based on full-time)
• 38-hour workweek with flexible working hours
• Travel reimbursement of €0.25/km or full compensation for public transport (2nd class)
• Excellent pension scheme through the PME pension fund
• Work in an innovative, high-tech environment with real-world impact
• Open, informal company culture where your ideas are valued
• Lunch provided by DeltaQuad, monthly team drinks, and regular team activities

Please note that, as part of our recruitment process, we may request a Certificate of Conduct (VOG) and conduct a background screening in accordance with our screening policy. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation throughout this process.