Entry Level- RF Systems Engineer (Onsite- Aberdeen, Maryland)

Fairwinds Technologies; Maryland; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Fairwinds Technologies is seeking an entry-level Systems Engineer in Maryland to join xG and Mixed Signal product teams. You will support the full engineering lifecycle, capture requirements, develop system concepts, and help integrate RF, networking, DSP, FPGA, and embedded software components.

In this early-career role you will work with a broad, multidisciplinary team, gain hands-on experience, and contribute to documentation, test plans, and demonstrations across laboratory and field

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field completed or expected before start date.
• Experience with multidisciplinary system design, integration, testing, and documentation.
• Understanding of the engineering lifecycle (requirements through configuration control).
• Ability to organize complex information into diagrams, requirements, and plans.
• Capability to analyze test data and investigate discrepancies.
• Ability to collaborate across engineering disciplines and communicate clearly.

Responsibilities

• Capture, clarify, and decompose system, subsystem, and interface requirements.
• Develop system concepts, architectures, interfaces, and trade studies.
• Maintain traceability among needs, design decisions, and test results.
• Create system diagrams, use cases, verification matrices, and technical reports.
• Coordinate information across RF, networking, DSP, FPGA, embedded software, electrical, and mechanical teams.
• Support integration of radios, modems, processors, networks, and test equipment.
• Assist with verification planning, test criteria, data review, and discrepancy tracking.
• Participate in lab and field integration, customer demonstrations, and design reviews.
• Prepare engineering documentation and concise briefings for stakeholders.

Skills

Systems thinking

Requirements analysis

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Documentation

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering

Tools

MATLAB

Python

Linux

Git

Job description

ENTRY-LEVEL SYSTEMS ENGINEER

xG and Mixed Signal Product Development | Technical Services

About The Opportunity

Fairwinds Technologies is continuously looking for curious, organized, and hands-on early-career engineers who want to help turn advanced communications and RF concepts into integrated, testable, and supportable systems. In this role, you may support either our xG or Mixed Signal product development team, or technical-services contracts aligned with those product areas.

You will work alongside experienced systems, RF, network, DSP, FPGA, embedded software, electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, cybersecurity, and test engineers. The role provides exposure to the full engineering lifecycle, including stakeholder needs, requirements, architecture, interfaces, integration, verification, validation, configuration, documentation, demonstrations, and field support.

What You Will Do

• Help capture, clarify, decompose, organize, and maintain system, subsystem, interface, performance, and verification requirements.
• Support development of system concepts, functional architectures, physical architectures, interface definitions, operational workflows, and engineering trade studies.
• Maintain traceability among customer needs, requirements, design decisions, interfaces, test methods, results, risks, and deliverables.
• Create and update system diagrams, block diagrams, interface-control information, use cases, verification matrices, test plans, procedures, and technical reports.
• Coordinate technical information across RF, networking, DSP, FPGA, embedded software, electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, cybersecurity, and test disciplines.
• Support integration of radios, modems, processors, networks, RF subsystems, antennas, embedded platforms, software, test equipment, and mechanical assemblies.
• Assist with verification and validation planning, requirement-based testing, acceptance criteria, data review, discrepancy tracking, and closure evidence.
• Participate in laboratory and field integration, customer demonstrations, design reviews, test-readiness reviews, troubleshooting, and root-cause investigations.
• Help manage technical risks, assumptions, dependencies, open decisions, action items, configuration baselines, and engineering changes.
• Prepare clear engineering documentation and concise technical briefings for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Technology and mission areas

• xG wireless systems, including 5G, non-terrestrial networking, tactical communications, software-defined radio, mesh and mobile networks, gateways, and edge-compute platforms.
• Mixed Signal products, including Global Link and EchoPhase-related capabilities, channel emulation, coherent combining, wideband RF systems, embedded control, and network-connected test equipment.
• Integrated systems that combine RF, antennas, digital signal processing, FPGA logic, embedded Linux, networking, power, mechanical packaging, and management software.
• Performance areas such as interoperability, throughput, latency, signal quality, channel effects, timing, synchronization, reliability, environmental constraints, and operational usability.
• Government-funded R&D and technical-services contracts involving requirements analysis, architecture, integration, test, documentation, demonstrations, and field support.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related technical field, completed or expected before start date.
• Coursework, laboratory, internship, capstone, research, or personal-project experience involving multidisciplinary system design, integration, testing, requirements, modeling, or technical documentation.
• Foundational understanding of the engineering lifecycle, including requirements, design, integration, verification, validation, and configuration control.
• Ability to organize complex technical information, identify interfaces and dependencies, and convert discussions into clear diagrams, requirements, plans, or action items.
• Basic ability to analyze test data, investigate discrepancies, communicate assumptions, and document conclusions.
• Ability to collaborate across multiple engineering disciplines and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical teammates.
• Ability to satisfy customer, site-access, export-control, and security requirements associated with assigned work.

Preferred, Not Required

• Exposure to requirements-management, model-based systems engineering, SysML, UML, architecture modeling, or digital-engineering tools.
• Familiarity with interface-control documents, verification cross-reference matrices, trade studies, risk registers, configuration management, or technical reviews.
• Coursework or project experience in wireless communications, RF systems, 5G or LTE, non-terrestrial networks, software-defined radio, satellite communications, embedded systems, or computer networks.
• Experience using MATLAB, Python, Linux, Git, diagramming tools, issue trackers, test-management tools, or data-analysis and automation workflows.
• Awareness of systems-engineering guidance such as the V-model, requirements traceability, verification methods, reliability concepts, human factors, cybersecurity, or environmental qualification.
• Hands-on experience integrating or troubleshooting hardware, software, networks, radios, sensors, test equipment, or electromechanical systems.

What Success Looks Like

• First 90 days: learn the assigned product or program, mission context, architecture, requirements, interfaces, documentation workflow, laboratory environment, and test objectives; complete scoped systems-engineering tasks with mentoring.
• First 6 months: independently maintain a defined requirement set, interface, verification matrix, trade study, diagram package, or integration activity and produce clear technical evidence and documentation.
• First year: own a defined subsystem, interface, requirements area, integration thread, or verification capability and become a dependable coordinator across engineering disciplines, product activities, and technical-service deliverables.

Why join Fairwinds Technologies

• Work on products and customer-funded R&D activities within the same technical domain, connecting mission needs and engineering decisions with real hardware, software, networks, RF systems, and measured performance.
• Gain broad exposure to wireless communications, RF hardware, software-defined radios, DSP, FPGA, embedded computing, networking, mechanical integration, cybersecurity, manufacturing, laboratory testing, and field support.
• Learn from experienced multidisciplinary engineers while receiving meaningful requirements, architecture, integration, verification, and documentation responsibilities early in your career.
• Join a growing technology organization expanding its xG and Mixed Signal portfolios and strengthening repeatable product-development and systems-engineering practices.

Compensation- Salary

At Fairwinds, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, location and experience. Additional incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full time, exempt position.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance

Must be eligible to work in the US.

AAP/EEO Statement

Fairwinds Technologies, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer – M/F/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity