Antenna Engineer

CHAOS Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 138,000 - 154,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Benefits: medical, dental, and

401k (company match)

Free daily lunch on site

Relocation assistance

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

CHAOS Industries in El Segundo, CA seeks an early-career Antenna Engineer to design, analyze, and test antennas and RF front ends for radar, EW, and sensing systems. You will work with RF, digital, mechanical, and thermal engineers on architecture trades from concept to prototype, qualification, and production.

This hands-on role targets a recent master’s or doctoral graduate and is on-site in El Segundo, CA, with opportunities to engage across disciplines and contribute to design reviews and

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics, or a related field.
• Graduate research or internship involving antenna design, electromagnetics, RF systems, or related topics.
• Understanding of antenna theory, EM propagation, polarization, and measurement.
• Familiarity with phased arrays or array analysis through coursework or projects.
• Experience with electromagnetic simulation tools such as HFSS or CST, and analysis tools such as MATLAB or Python.
• Ability to communicate technical work clearly and collaborate across engineering disciplines.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Support antenna architecture and design trades based on mission performance, SWaP-C, reliability, producibility, and cost.
• Develop and analyze antennas and phased arrays for active and passive RF systems, including wideband and narrowband architectures.
• Contribute to phased-array antenna development, including AESA systems.
• Perform electromagnetic modeling and array analysis using HFSS, CST, MATLAB, and Python.
• Build and integrate antenna prototypes; support laboratory testing, measurement, and analysis.
• Compare measured antenna performance with simulation and analytical predictions.
• Support antenna verification and qualification activities.
• Collaborate with RF, digital, mechanical, and thermal engineers to resolve integration challenges and deliver producible designs.
• Participate in design reviews, help develop requirements, identify risks, and contribute to design decisions.
• Contribute to antenna analysis methods, scripts, and test approaches.
• Support technical work with university and research partners.

Skills

Antenna design

Electromagnetics

HFSS/CST

MATLAB/Python

Cross-team communication

Security clearance readiness

Education

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related (or PhD)

PhD in a related field (preferred)

Tools

HFSS

CST

MATLAB

Python

Job description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage-domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview

CHAOS is seeking an early-career Antenna Engineer to contribute to the design, analysis, and testing of antennas and RF front ends for radar, electronic warfare, and sensing systems. You will work with experienced engineers on antenna development from architecture trades through prototype build, integration, qualification, and production.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role. You will use your graduate research and engineering skills on hardware, working directly with RF, digital, mechanical, and thermal engineers. The position is suited to a recent master's or doctoral graduate who wants to see their antenna designs move from concept to product.

This is a full-time, on-site position in El Segundo, CA.

Responsibilities

• Support antenna architecture and design trades based on mission performance, SWaP-C, reliability, producibility, and cost
• Develop and analyze antennas and phased arrays for active and passive RF systems, including wideband and narrowband architectures
• Contribute to phased-array antenna development, including AESA systems
• Perform electromagnetic modeling and array analysis using tools such as HFSS, CST, MATLAB, and Python
• Build and integrate antenna prototypes; support laboratory testing, measurement, and analysis
• Compare measured antenna performance with simulation and analytical predictions
• Support antenna verification and qualification activities
• Work with RF, digital, mechanical, and thermal engineers to resolve integration challenges and deliver producible designs
• Participate in design reviews, help develop requirements, identify technical risks, and contribute to design decisions
• Contribute to antenna analysis methods, scripts, and test approaches
• Support technical work with university and research partners

Minimum Requirements

• Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics, or a related field
• Graduate research, thesis, project, or internship experience involving antenna design, electromagnetics, RF systems, or related topics
• Understanding of antenna theory, electromagnetic propagation, polarization, and antenna measurement
• Familiarity with phased arrays or array analysis through coursework, research, or project work
• Experience with electromagnetic simulation tools such as HFSS or CST, and analysis tools such as MATLAB or Python
• Ability to communicate technical work clearly and collaborate across engineering disciplines
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Preferred Requirements

• Research or project experience with phased arrays, AESA antennas, or RF front ends
• Experience with wideband or narrowband antenna architectures, such as Vivaldi, TCDA, or log-periodic designs
• Experience building antenna prototypes or performing antenna measurements
• Experience with beamforming, array calibration, mutual coupling, scan performance, or sidelobe analysis
• Internship or project experience in radar, EW, aerospace, defense, or related RF sensing applications
• Technical contributions demonstrated through publications, conference presentations, patents, or research awards

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 500+ employees and counting across 5 global offices

$138k-154k

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.