Lead Radio Frequency Engineer

Qualis LLC; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off and holidays

Education and certification reimburse-

Disability and Life Insurance

Job summary

Qualis LLC in Huntsville, AL seeks a Lead RF Engineer to advance SDA and MW radar technology. The role requires senior technical leadership in RF design, integration, and testing within a hybrid development environment.

The successful candidate will guide cross-disciplinary teams, optimize RF systems, and ensure robust performance across hardware, firmware, and software interfaces. U.S. citizenship and DoD clearance are required.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with RF hardware design, measurements, calibration, and hardware/software troubleshooting.
• Experience providing technical direction and coordinating RF engineering activities across disciplines.
• Experience with design, integration, and transitioning products from development to production, and obsolescence management.
• Understanding of the product lifecycle and applying standards, principles, theories, concepts, processes, and techniques.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen with ability to obtain an Active DoD Secret Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead RF engineering execution, provide technical direction, and resolve design tradeoffs and issues across the hardware-in-the-loop system.
• Develop RF plans, coordinate activities, and conduct design reviews with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Define RF subsystem requirements, architectures, and interfaces translating performance needs to specs.
• Perform link-budget, frequency, and interference analyses to assess gain, loss, noise, and dynamic range.
• Guide transmit/receive, channel-simulation, and frequency-conversion designs including amplifiers, filters, and mixers.
• Establish RF routing and interconnection designs, cabling, connectors, and impedance matching.
• Guide RF and interface-board schematic/PCB development, materials, shielding, grounding, and thermal effects.
• Establish hardware selection criteria, review BOMs, and coordinate procurement and supplier issues.
• Define hardware, firmware, and software interfaces, coordinating RF control and timing synchronization.
• Plan and lead RF integration and verification, troubleshoot and address test results.

Skills

RF hardware design

RF measurements

Calibration

Troubleshooting (hardware/software)

Technical leadership

Cross-disciplinary coordination

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Graduate Degree

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Lead Radio Frequency Engineer

Qualis LLC is looking for a full-time Lead RF (Radio Frequency) Engineer to work in the Space Domain (SDA) and Missile Warning (MW) mission areas. This position will be filled in Huntsville, AL. Our team is dedicated to advancing the SDA and MW missions through focused and innovative research and engineering. We are on the cutting edge of Deep Space surveillance radar technology and radar hardware solutions to enhance mission capabilities.

We focus on delivering rapid, high-value solutions to our customers by recruiting, growing, and mentoring top technical talent. We are motivated technical staff who are interested in working independently, collaboratively, and performing high-impact work from day one. Our engineers are willing and expected to dive deep into developing solutions to the most challenging technical problems.

Responsibilities

The Lead RF Engineer will work within a multi-discipline team of engineers providing engineering support that addresses our customers’ needs implementing current technology in SDA and MW radars.

The Lead RF Engineer is responsible for the analysis, design, implementation, optimization, and enhancement of RF systems. The position applies comprehensive RF Engineering knowledge to support system performance, frequency conversion, signal routing, synchronization, calibration, interference analysis, and optimization.

The Lead RF Engineer provides program support by bringing knowledge and skills to a hybrid development environment where waterfall and agile practices are combined to quickly bring feedback during the design, development, and testing of new products.

The Lead RF Engineer will be a self-starter who works well both in teams and independently. They will have strong communication skills and robust attention to detail, organizational skills, and self-accountability. Additional responsibilities include (but not limited to):

• Lead RF engineering execution, provide technical direction, and resolve design tradeoffs and technical issues across the hardware-in-the-loop system.
• Develop RF technical plans, sequence engineering activities, and coordinate dependencies and design reviews with systems, software, firmware, mechanical, and test engineers.
• Define RF subsystem requirements, architectures, and interfaces, translating system performance needs into component and signal-path specifications.
• Direct and perform link-budget, frequency, and interference analyses to assess gain, loss, noise, linearity, isolation, and dynamic range.
• Guide and contribute to transmit/receive, channel-simulation, and frequency-conversion designs, including amplifiers, filters, mixers, switches, and attenuators.
• Establish RF routing and interconnection designs, addressing cabling, connectors, splitters, combiners, impedance matching, coupling, losses, and channel isolation.
• Guide RF and interface-board schematic and PCB development, fabrication, and bring-up, evaluating materials, shielding, grounding, and thermal effects on RF performance.
• Establish hardware selection criteria, review technical specifications and bills of materials, and coordinate procurement and supplier technical issues.
• Define hardware, firmware, and software interfaces, and coordinate RF control, configuration, data capture, and timing synchronization across the system.
• Establish RF calibration methods and configuration practices, and ensure affected signal paths are characterized and recalibrated after hardware changes.
• Plan and lead RF integration and verification, coordinate troubleshooting and corrective actions, and assess test results against technical requirements.
• Keep RF designs, interface documents, calibration records, test procedures, and as-built records consistent, and communicate technical findings and recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 9 years of prior relevant experience, or a Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience.
• Experience working with government customers including the USAF and USSF
• Understanding of Military and Industrial standards governing hardware design, selection, qualification, characteristics, etc.
• Familiar with the product lifecycle and have some experience applying technical standards, principles, theories, concepts, processes, and techniques to solve problems
• Experience with design, integration, and transitioning products from development to production, and obsolescence management.
• Hands‑on experience with RF hardware design and integration, RF measurements, calibration, and hardware/software troubleshooting.
• Experience providing technical direction and coordinating RF engineering activities across disciplines.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain an Active DoD Secret Clearance.

Desired Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of project management principles and experience supporting the planning and execution of complex engineering efforts.
• Experience in the deployment of hardware-based product(s) to an operational USAF/USSF Site
• Experience working with Ground Based radars, especially Eglin, PARCS or UEWR systems.
• Experience mitigating hardware obsolescence issues
• Experience with electronic test equipment (Oscilloscopes, Network Analyzers, Multimeters, Function Generators, etc.)
• Experience with root cause analysis

Qualis, LLC has a comprehensive benefits package based on employment type, location, and applicable agreements that includes:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) match
• Paid time off and Holidays
• Educational, professional development and certification reimbursement.
• Tax-saving options
• Disability and Life Insurance

Qualis, LLC is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse and talented workforce who can contribute to the mission and vision of the Company. Our employees are our greatest asset, and we promote a positive work environment, teamwork, professional growth, innovation, community involvement, flexible scheduling and a family-friendly work environment.

Equal Opportunity Employer/M/F/Vet/Disabled and a Participant in E-Verify.