Founding RF & EMC Lead Engineer — Spacecraft, Equity

Pillar Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(k) match

Equity

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Pillar Space is seeking a Lead RF & EMC Engineer to own the spacecraft RF systems and EMC programs, from first principles to flight‑ready hardware. This senior role requires mentoring engineers, defining standards, and shaping the technical roadmap in a stealth space hardware team.

You will oversee antennas, front ends, spectrum licensing, and system‑level RF/EMC tradeoffs while coordinating with avionics, ground, and mission ops. Equity and a strong growth trajectory accompany the role.

Qualifications

• 8+ years designing, testing, or flight‑qualifying RF systems or EMC programs.
• Proven ability to own complex RF systems from concept to flight.
• Experience leading engineers in high‑performance environments.
• Strong grounding in electromagnetics and microwave theory.

Responsibilities

• Own RF and EMC architecture from design through flight operations.
• Lead end‑to‑end link design, budgets, and modulation tradeoffs.
• Select and qualify RF hardware: transceivers, LNAs, PA, filters.
• Design and place antennas, analyze patterns and coverage.
• Define grounding, bonding, shielding, and EMC requirements.

Skills

RF design

Antenna design

EMC

Link budgets

Team leadership

System design

RF testing

Tradeoffs

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering or related

Physics or Aerospace recognized

Tools

HFSS

CST Studio

Altair FEKO

Keysight ADS

AWR Microwave Office

Job description

Pillar Space is seeking a Lead RF & EMC Engineer to own the spacecraft RF systems and EMC programs, from first principles to flight‑ready hardware. This senior role requires mentoring engineers, defining standards, and shaping the technical roadmap in a stealth space hardware team.

You will oversee antennas, front ends, spectrum licensing, and system‑level RF/EMC tradeoffs while coordinating with avionics, ground, and mission ops. Equity and a strong growth trajectory accompany the role.