Lead Communications & Navigation Systems Engineer - UAS

Approach Venture LLC; Round Rock (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Approach Venture LLC in Round Rock, TX (onsite) is seeking a Lead Communications & Navigation Systems Engineer to own the aircraft's C2, RF, and GNSS/PNT subsystems from design through flight testing.

This hands-on leadership role requires coordinating across electrical, embedded software, flight controls, and mechanical teams, with travel ~25% to test facilities and customer sites, and U.S. citizenship for security clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in aerospace RF/communications or navigation systems.
• Hands-on experience with datalinks, RF hardware, and antenna integration.
• Strong GNSS performance understanding and interference awareness.
• Experience with RF test equipment and lab environments.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture, development, integration, and validation of aircraft communications, GNSS/PNT, and RF subsystems from design to flight testing.
• Develop RF link budgets and evaluate antenna selection, placement, and performance across the aircraft.
• Select and integrate radio and datalink systems, manage supplier relationships, and ensure hardware meets requirements.
• Develop resilient navigation architectures for GPS-denied, jammed, or spoofed environments.
• Conduct RF bench testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and flight test troubleshooting to resolve issues.
• Manage spectrum requirements, frequency coordination, and regulatory authorizations for tests.
• Lead EMI/EMC integration to ensure compatibility across avionics and onboard systems.
• Collaborate with flight software engineers to integrate protocols and maintain open architecture.
• Create interface control documents, verification plans, and technical docs for reviews and airworthiness.
• Support ground and flight testing, analyze performance, and drive hardware/software improvements.

Skills

Communications systems

RF engineering

Navigation systems

GNSS performance

Datalinks

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Vector network analyzers

Spectrum analyzers

Job description

Lead Communications & Navigation Systems Engineer - Build Mission-Critical Systems for Next-Generation UAS

Round Rock or Fort Worth, TX | On-site

Opportunity Summary

Join a well-funded, seed-stage defense technology startup developing low-cost unmanned aircraft systems for government and defense applications. With active government contracts and strong customer traction, the company is moving quickly through aircraft development, integration, and flight testing. We are seeking a Lead Communications & Navigation Systems Engineer to own the aircraft's command and control (C2), RF communications, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems. You will lead technical decisions from initial architecture and hardware selection through integration and flight testing, with a focus on reliable communications and resilient navigation in contested environments. This is a hands-on technical leadership role with significant ownership of critical aircraft subsystems.

About Us

We are a venture-backed aerospace and defense startup building affordable, mission-ready unmanned aircraft systems. Our focus is on developing reliable, scalable platforms that can be manufactured efficiently and deployed to meet evolving defense requirements. Backed by significant seed funding and active government contracts, we are building a small, highly technical team to accelerate aircraft development, expand flight testing, and deliver operational capabilities to our customers.

Job Duties

• Own the architecture, development, integration, and validation of aircraft communications, GNSS/PNT, and RF subsystems from initial design through flight testing.
• Develop RF link budgets and evaluate antenna selection, placement, and performance across the aircraft.
• Select and integrate radio and datalink systems, manage technical relationships with suppliers, and ensure hardware meets system requirements.
• Develop resilient navigation architectures capable of maintaining aircraft performance in GPS-denied, jammed, or spoofed environments.
• Conduct RF bench testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and flight test troubleshooting to identify and resolve communications and navigation issues.
• Manage spectrum requirements, frequency coordination, and regulatory authorizations necessary to support test operations.
• Lead EMI/EMC integration efforts to ensure compatibility across avionics, propulsion, communications, and onboard systems.
• Work closely with flight software engineers to integrate communications protocols, support interoperability, and maintain an open systems architecture.
• Develop interface control documents, verification plans, and technical documentation to support design reviews, system qualification, and airworthiness requirements.
• Participate in ground and flight testing, analyze system performance, and drive hardware and software improvements based on test results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 7+ years of experience developing communications, RF, or navigation systems for aerospace, unmanned aircraft, or defense applications. Demonstrated technical ownership and delivered hardware are valued over years of experience alone.
• Hands-on experience integrating aircraft datalinks, radio systems, and antennas, including developing RF link budgets.
• Strong understanding of GNSS receiver performance, navigation system limitations, and the effects of interference, jamming, and spoofing.
• Experience with RF test equipment, including vector network analyzers and spectrum analyzers.
• Ability to own subsystem architecture, hardware selection, integration, troubleshooting, and validation with limited oversight.
• Experience working across electrical, embedded software, flight controls, and mechanical engineering teams.
• Willingness to travel approximately 25% of the time to flight test facilities and other company or customer locations.
• U.S. citizenship required for access to export-controlled technical data and eligibility for a Department of Defense security clearance.

Preferred Experience

• Experience developing or integrating Group 2 or Group 3 unmanned aircraft, particularly low-cost or attritable platforms.
• Familiarity with mobile ad hoc networks (MANET), mesh networking, and tactical radio systems.
• Experience developing or integrating alternative navigation technologies, including visual-inertial navigation or signals-of-opportunity approaches.
• Familiarity with anti-jam GNSS solutions, controlled reception pattern antennas (CRPA), M-code, or SAASM systems.
• Experience with military communications interoperability standards, including MAVLink and STANAG 4586.
• Experience performing EMI/EMC testing and qualification to MIL-STD-461 requirements.
• Experience supporting aircraft integration, ground testing, flight testing, and technical design reviews.
• Active Secret security clearance.
• Prior experience at an early-stage company or on a small engineering team with direct ownership of a critical technical subsystem.

Why Join Us

• Join a well-funded seed-stage startup with active government contracts and demonstrated customer traction.
• Own critical aircraft subsystems and influence the technical direction of the platform from early development through operational deployment.
• Work directly with a small, hands-on engineering team where technical decisions move quickly and individual contributions have a meaningful impact.
• Gain exposure to the full aircraft development lifecycle, including hardware design, system integration, ground testing, and flight operations.
• Help develop affordable unmanned aircraft systems designed to address real-world defense requirements.

Compensation Details

$140,000 - $190,000