Lead RF/DSP Engineer - Direction Finding & Fielded Detection

AV; Leesburg (VA); On-site; USD 154,000 - 234,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental Vision

401K

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AV seeks a hands-on Principal RF/DSP Engineer to tackle the hardest RF detection problems in Counter-UAS. You will own end-to-end targets, frame hypotheses, design experiments, and implement production C++ algorithms validated against real RF data.

A major focus is direction finding with antenna-array processing and bearing estimation, including array calibration and field validation. You will lead reusable signal-processing components, review teammates' work, and drive the technical roadmap by

Qualifications

• BS or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field.
• Substantial professional experience in RF, communications, radar, EW, or related signal-processing systems.
• Strong DSP and digital-communications fundamentals across multiple topics.
• Ability to independently investigate unfamiliar signals using measurements and experiments.
• Experience analyzing real complex-IQ data, not only simulations.
• Hands-on DSP algorithm implementation, testing, and debugging.
• Production-quality C++ in Linux.
• Direction finding and antenna-array signal processing experience with practical DF error sources.
• Experience with automated tests and replaying data through pipelines.
• Git or equivalent source control experience.
• US Citizenship is required.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the most difficult unfamiliar RF targets and design experiment plans.
• Analyze wideband complex-IQ recordings from known and unfamiliar RF systems.
• Characterize signal bandwidth, timing, modulation, synchronization, and framing.
• Design controlled experiments to isolate transmitter behavior and guide investigations.
• Develop and optimize DSP algorithms for burst detection, synchronization, demodulation, and classification.
• Own reusable signal-processing components used across the team.
• Improve line-of-bearing performance with advanced array processing methods.
• Diagnose DF error sources like mutual coupling, channel mismatch, and multipath.
• Lead field validation campaigns and collaborate with RF, FPGA, embedded, and data science teams.
• Review others' analyses and code to de-risk approaches and unblock progress.

Skills

Direction finding

Antenna array processing

Bearing estimation

C++ production code

DSP fundamentals

RF signal processing

Git / version control

Independent problem solving

Education

BS or higher in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Linux development environment

Automated testing frameworks

DSP libraries

Job description

AV seeks a hands-on Principal RF/DSP Engineer to tackle the hardest RF detection problems in Counter-UAS. You will own end-to-end targets, frame hypotheses, design experiments, and implement production C++ algorithms validated against real RF data.

A major focus is direction finding with antenna-array processing and bearing estimation, including array calibration and field validation. You will lead reusable signal-processing components, review teammates' work, and drive the technical roadmap by