Effector RF Design Section Lead

Prattwhitney; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) match

Flexible work schedules

Employee assistance program

Parental leave

Job summary

RTX in Tucson, AZ is seeking a Principal RF Electrical Engineer – Section Lead on‑site to guide a section of 10–20 RF engineers and oversee the full lifecycle of RF hardware products. This role blends technical leadership with hands‑on development and supplier oversight across cross‑functional teams.

You will drive RF design, analysis, integration, verification, and qualification activities while mentoring engineers and supporting recruitment, workforce planning, and performance management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM required with 8+ years of relevant experience, or advanced degree with 6+ years of experience.
• U.S. citizenship with active DoD Secret clearance on day one.
• Experience in RF hardware design, analysis, integration, verification, or troubleshooting.
• Experience using RF development tools (Keysight ADS, HFSS, Genesys/SystemVue or equivalent).
• EVMS or CAM experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead a section of 10–20 RF electronics engineers and manage performance and career development.
• Mentor engineers and foster technical growth across the organization.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, and workforce planning for RF teams.
• Provide technical oversight of RF hardware design, integration, and qualification.
• Collaborate with Systems, Digital, Mechanical, Software, Power, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain teams.
• Lead or contribute to RF testing, risk management, and design reviews.

Skills

RF hardware design

RF hardware analysis

RF integration

Leadership

DoD clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in related field

Tools

Keysight ADS

HFSS

Genesys/SystemVue

Mentor DX Designer

Job description

Overview

Principal RF Electrical Engineer – Section Lead (on-site, Tucson, AZ). This role combines technical leadership and hands‑on RF hardware development with coaching and growing a team of 10‑20 RF electronics engineers. The incumbent will oversee the full lifecycle of RF products while driving innovation, ensuring compliance, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

What You Will Do

• Lead functional leadership of a section of 10‑20 RF electronics engineers.
• Conduct performance management, career‑development discussions, and regular one‑on‑one meetings.
• Mentor engineers and foster technical growth across the organization.
• Support recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning.
• Partner with department leadership on strategic initiatives and organizational priorities.
• Foster a collaborative and engaging work environment.
• Support employee recognition, engagement, and retention initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, engineering processes, and RTX values.

Technical Leadership

• Serve as a technical contributor, lead, or engineering manager on RF hardware development efforts.
• Lead or support design, development, integration, and qualification of RF hardware.
• Design RF and microwave hardware including transmitters, receivers, exciters, sensors, modules, and circuit card assemblies (CCAs).
• Provide technical oversight of suppliers developing RF hardware to meet program technical, cost, and schedule objectives.
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams responsible for successful execution of RF products.
• Perform or oversee RF analysis, simulation, integration, verification, troubleshooting, and qualification testing.
• Support design reviews, technical risk management, and root‑cause investigations.
• Develop technical solutions for complex RF issues affecting fielded products, including capability enhancements and redesigns driven by obsolescence.
• Collaborate closely with Systems Engineering, Digital Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, Power Engineering, Manufacturing, Test, Quality, and Supply Chain organizations.

You Must Have

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) and a minimum of 8 years of prior relevant experience, *or* an advanced degree in a related field and a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience.
• U.S. citizenship required with an active and transferable DoD Secret clearance on day one.
• Experience in at least two of the following: RF hardware design and development, RF hardware analysis and simulation, RF hardware integration, verification, and troubleshooting.
• Experience using one or more industry‑standard RF development tools (e.g., Keysight ADS, HFSS, Genesys/SystemVue, Mentor DX Designer or equivalent).
• EVMS or Control Account Manager (CAM) experience.

Qualifications We Value

• Experience leading or mentoring engineers and performing performance management, coaching, or career development.
• Demonstrated technical leadership on complex RF development programs.
• Experience leading cross‑functional engineering teams.
• Experience with supplier technical oversight.
• Experience architecting RF systems and defining hardware requirements.
• Working knowledge of RF technologies such as CCAs (receivers, exciters, transceivers, transmitters) and RF sensors.
• Understanding of RF performance metrics (phase noise, receiver sensitivity, mixer spurs, AGC, IMD, instantaneous bandwidth, bit‑error rate, ADC performance).
• Experience with RF laboratory equipment (network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes, arbitrary waveform generators).
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Strong collaboration, communication, and organizational skills.
• A passion for developing engineers and building high‑performing teams.

What We Offer

Benefits and compensation available to qualified candidates include:

• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance and short‑term and long‑term disability coverage.
• 401(k) match.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Flexible work schedules.
• Employee assistance program.
• Employee Scholar Program.
• Parental leave.
• Paid time off and holidays.
• Annual short‑term and long‑term incentive compensation opportunities.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.