Antenna Engineer (All Levels)

Voiceflow; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Unlimited PTO + 20+ days shutdown

Parental leave

401k with 5% company matching

Annual perks

Job summary

Farcast in San Francisco seeks an Antenna Engineer to design and mature phased-array antennas for satellite user terminals. You will own elements, array performance, and validation from design through production.

This hands-on role uses HFSS simulations, PCB layout review (Altium), and lab testing, with RF, electronics, mechanical, software, and systems teams. All employees must be on-site at least two days per week.

Qualifications

• 3 years of hands-on experience in antenna design and testing.
• Experience with PCB layout and design review for RF/antenna structures.
• Willingness to work on-site at least two days per week.

Responsibilities

• Design antenna elements (patch, slot, dipole) for use in antenna arrays.
• Optimize antenna performance for bandwidth, gain, directivity, return loss, and axial ratio.
• Develop scripts to calculate array radiation pattern metrics (directivity, beamwidth, sidelobe levels).
• Perform full-wave simulations of antenna elements and large arrays using HFSS.
• Develop test plans and execute antenna testing with lab equipment (VNA, signal generators, spectrum analyzers, CATR, far-field testing).

Skills

Antenna design

HFSS

PCB layout

Education

Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Antennas

Tools

Altium Designer

Job description

Our Goals

At Farcast, we aim to improve global prosperity. We achieve this goal by building innovative products that enable access to information. Satellite internet is one of the most important ways to achieve this goal and to provide global connectivity coverage. However, the capacity of satellite internet services is limited by the quality and affordability of the devices consumers use to connect to satellites. These devices are called “user terminals”. Our mission is to bring unprecedented innovation to the user terminal industry.

We believe our innovation will be key in making satellite internet accessible to everyone. Please join us if your goals align with ours!

We are hiring Antenna Engineers to help design and bring to production the phased-array antennas at the heart of Farcast’s next-generation satellite user terminals. You will work on challenging antenna and array problems across the full development cycle—from antenna element design and full-wave simulation to array-level performance analysis, hardware testing, and validation.

This is a highly hands-on role with direct ownership of real flight and production hardware. You’ll work closely with a multidisciplinary team of RF, electronics, mechanical, software, and systems engineers to push the performance of large electronically steered arrays and turn innovative antenna concepts into products that can be manufactured and deployed at scale. We’re looking for engineers who enjoy solving difficult RF problems, building and testing what they design, and seeing their work become part of a complete satellite communications system.

Responsibilities

• Design antenna elements (e.g. patch, slot, and dipole) for use in antenna arrays




• Optimize antenna performance for metrics such as bandwidth, gain, directivity, return loss, and axial ratio




• Develop scripts to calculate various specifications of an array antenna radiation pattern, including directivity, beamwidth, and sidelobe levels




• Perform efficient full-wave simulation of antenna elements and large array antennas using HFSS



• Develop test plans and execute antenna testing using lab equipment such as VNA, signal generator, spectrum analyzers, Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR), and Far field testing

Required Experience

• 3 years of hands-on experience in Antenna design and testing

Education

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Antennas

What Makes You Stand Out

• Hands-on experience with PCB layout and design review, particularly for RF and antenna structures.


• Working knowledge of Altium Designer, including the ability to navigate schematics and PCB layouts, review component placement and routing, and support hardware debug and design validation.

Base Salary

• Final compensation package will include a competitive base salary, meaningful company stock options, and a comprehensive package of cash and non-cash benefits. The final package will be tailored to the candidate’s experience, impact, and role scope.


• Base Salary Range:

150000 - 190000 USD a year

Offered Benefits

• Meaningful company stock ownership


• Unlimited PTO plus 20+ days of company shutdown


• Parental leave designed by parents for parents


• 401k with 5% company matching


• $13,600 in annual perks (wellness, commute, and meals)


• Individualized health, dental, and vision insurance plans for you and your family

In-Person Requirement

• All employees are expected to be at the office, in person, for a minimum of two days per week

Export Control Requirement

• To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, all applicants and employees must hold U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or protected status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)

Diversity and Inclusion

• Farcast is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace


• We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees


• We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics


• We encourage people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply. Studies have shown that marginalized communities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to consider still applying.