Associate Director, Electronic Warfare Research Scientist

RTX; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 157,000 - 299,000; Full time

Job summary

RTX BBN Technologies (BBN) seeks a senior research leader to drive advanced capabilities for national security programs. You will lead interdisciplinary teams across signal processing, RF, and sensing domains, interfacing with DoD and IC customers.

The role requires active TS/SCI clearance, U.S. citizenship, and willingness to travel overnight. Onsite presence at Arlington, Columbia, or Cambridge is expected and relocation support is available.

Qualifications

• Advanced STEM degree plus 12+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience managing interdisciplinary teams with technical and programmatic risk.
• Background in national security challenges and electromagnetic systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead onsite roles at Arlington VA, Columbia MD, or Cambridge MA with monthly travel.
• Drive research in statistical signal processing, cyclostationary processing, and adaptive filters.
• Oversee RF propagation, sensing, and physical-layer communications projects.
• Manage and grow a high-performing research team with DoD/IC focus.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Technical writing

Stakeholder communication

Team building

Education

PhD in Engineering or related STEM field

Job description

Date Posted:

2026-10-07

Country:

United States of America

Location:

US-MA-CAMBRIDGE-BBN01 ~ 10 & 50 Moulton St ~ MOULTON B2

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

Active and transferable U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type:

DoD Clearance: Top Secret

Security Clearance Status:

Active and existing security clearance required on day 1

At RTX, the world’s largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

Role Overview:

RTX BBN Technologies (BBN) has solved challenging problems through research, exploration, development, and prototyping. BBN’s Non-Kinetic Capabilities and Technologies (NCT) team leverages computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, math, and physics to tackle customer challenges in electromagnetic warfare (EW), communications, cybersecurity, cyberspace operations, and networking for the U.S. Department of War (DoW) and Intelligence Community (IC) customers. BBN is looking for an excellent forward-thinking candidate to drive our next technology breakthroughs and to integrate these technologies into RTX Programs of Record.

You are the ideal candidate if you are a recognized high performer and leader for developing and demonstrating advanced capabilities for the DoW; you are a strong writer and communicator; you can identify and forge connections between stakeholder opportunities and our technical teams’ capabilities; you have a strong technical background in these areas with demonstrated leadership managing and growing a high performing team; and you desire an opportunity to pursue funding from technology focused government agencies (e.g. ONR, DoD Service labs and acquisition organizations) to help further U.S. National Security Objectives.

What You Will Do:

The position requires routine onsite presence at our Arlington, VA, Columbia, MD or Cambridge, MA offices. Monthly travel to Arlington, VA from Columbia or Cambridge will be required.

Statistical Signal Processing:

• Estimation techniques including Bayesian and non-Bayesian estimators, performance measures such as bias and mean-square error and bounds on estimator performance such as the Cramer-Rao lower bound.
• Detection techniques including the Neyman-Pearson detection, probabilities of detection and false alarm, receiver operating curves, etc.

Cyclostationary Signal Processing:

• CAF, SCF, SOF estimation.
• Computation of Cyclic Cumulants.
• Cyclic Feature Detection.

Adaptive Signal Processing:

• Temporal and space-time adaptive processing.
• Interference covariance estimation techniques including both structured and reduced-rank techniques.
• Wiener filtering and on-line adaptive techniques such as LMS and RLS.
• Kalman filtering, particle filtering, and multi-hypothesis tracking.
• Machine learning and optimization for autonomous control.

RF Propagation and Signature Modeling:

• Link budgets, terrestrial and free-space propagation models, multipath, non-stationary propagation environments (Doppler spread), clock stability and phase noise, and target kinematics.
• Antenna pattern estimation.
• Estimation of bistatic RCS.

Sensing:

• Sparse array processing, beamforming, direction finding, filtering and tracking.
• Range-Doppler radar and synthetic aperture radar (SAR).
• Signal classification and recognition.

Physical-layer Communications:

• Modulation techniques and tradeoffs, channel estimation and tracking, MIMO communications, equalization, forward error correction and decoding.
• LPX waveform design.
• Multi-user detection.

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires an advanced degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and a minimum of 12 years of prior relevant experience unless prohibited by local laws/regulations.
• Experience in building nationally competed advanced research and development programs spanning a range of disciplines, organizations, and missions.
• Experience managing interdisciplinary teams facing significant technical and programmatic risks.
• Experience managing and executing advanced R&D projects to include accomplishing organizational firsts or first known demonstrations.
• Background in application of emerging S&T to national security challenges and deep expertise in advanced electromagnetic systems to include synthetic aperture radars, RF edge processing, digital phased arrays, Rydberg apertures, and advanced antenna design, simulation, and measurements.
• Active and transferable U.S. government issued TS/SCI security clearance is required prior to start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance
• Experience writing and reviewing classified government technical specifications and generating system performance requirements
• Position will require some overnight travel.

Qualifications We Prefer:

• PhD degree in Engineering, or a related STEM degree.
• Experience as a planner and execution leader for complex analyses for DoD customers.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Demonstrated success in developing future principal investigators (PI’s) through technical leadership, proposal writing, sponsor engagement, and Co‑PI assignment and mentorship.
• Experience with emerging threats and familiarity with the advanced technologies and CONOPS needed to counter these threats.
• To help you achieve your goals, BBN will provide:
• A strong leadership team well-versed in government R&D.
• A collaborative and collegial environment to push state-of-the-art research.
• A technically competent pool of research scientists who are willing to mentor, listen, and help you refine our research vision and strategy.
• Business development, programmatic, contracting, finance, and HR support.
• Access, through RTX, to opportunities that help transition capabilities and ultimately see it fielded.

What We Offer:

Whether you’re just starting out on your career journey or are an experienced professional, we offer a robust total rewards package with compensation; healthcare, wellness, retirement, and work/life benefits; career development and recognition programs. Some of the benefits we offer include parental (including paternal) leave, flexible work schedules, achievement awards, educational assistance and child/adult backup care.

Work Location: Onsite - This position is Onsite at our Arlington, VA, Columbia, MD, or Cambridge, MA offices. Relocation is available

Please consider the following role type definition as you apply for this role:

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attendselect steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.

The salary range for this role is 157,200 USD - 298,800 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.

Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

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