Principal Antenna Design Engineer

globalhr; McKinney (TX); On-site; USD 108,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Raytheon seeks a Principal Antenna Design Engineer to lead development of advanced antennas, ultra-wideband phased arrays, and LO survivability technologies for critical programs. This onsite role requires collaboration across teams and hands-on leadership on high‑visibility efforts.

The candidate will design, model, prototype, test, and verify antennas, work with operations and fabrication, and mentor engineers while supporting national‑level programs with a DoD Secret clearance requirement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM required with minimum 8 years RF engineering experience.
• Experience with RCS modeling, prediction, measurement, or reduction.
• Design, fabrication, and test of antennas, phased arrays, or RF passive components.
• Proficiency with EM modeling tools HFSS, CST, FEKO, SENTRi, X-Patch.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership on design, modeling, realization, and verification of advanced LO antennas and ultra-wideband arrays.
• Lead design teams through architecture trades and EM analysis.
• Model antenna performance, RCS, and airframe-electromagnetic effects using full-wave tools.
• Collaborate with systems engineering to define RF and RCS requirements and verification plans.
• Mentor engineers in EM modeling, LO techniques, prototyping and testing.

Skills

RCS modeling

Antenna design

EM analysis

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s or PhD in EE (preferred)

Tools

HFSS

CST

FEKO

SENTRi

X-Patch

Job description

Date Posted: 2026-09-03

Country: United States of America

Location: US-TX-MCKINNEY-513WD ~ 2501 W University Dr ~ WING D BLDG

Position Role Type: Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: Active and transferable U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type: DoD Clearance: Secret

Security Clearance Status: Active and existing security clearance required on day 1

At Raytheon, the foundation of everything we do is rooted in our values and a higher calling – to help our nation and allies defend freedoms and deter aggression. We bring the strength of more than 100 years of experience and renowned engineering expertise to meet the needs of today’s mission and stay ahead of tomorrow’s threat. Our team solves tough, meaningful problems that create a safer, more secure world.

Our Airborne Antennas, Radome & Apertures team is recognized across the defense community as one of the most capable antenna and low observable (LO) engineering groups in the United States. Our engineers tackle some of the world’s toughest RF, antenna, and aperture challenges. We design high performance, highly integrated, mission critical antennas, radomes, and active electronically scanned arrays (AESAs).

We are seeking a Principal Antenna Design Engineer to drive the development of advanced antennas, ultra‑wideband phased arrays, and next‑generation LO survivability technologies for demanding systems. This role is ideal for senior engineers who want to work on programs with national‑level importance and who excel at both deep technical analysis and hands‑on engineering leadership.

This position requires job duties to be performed onsite due to the sensitive nature of this work and the desire for in-person collaboration; however, we offer flexible in-office hours and the ability to perform some job duties remotely.

What You Will Do

• Provide technical leadership on the design, modeling, realization, and verification of advanced Low Observable antennas, conformal apertures, ultra‑wideband phased arrays, and passive RF structures.
• Provide technical solutions to a wide range of difficult problems involving antenna/sensor-based applications such as radar, electronic warfare, electronic attack, electronic support measures, communications, geolocation, direction finding, etc.
• Lead design teams through architecture trades and detailed EM analysis
• Use full‑wave computational EM tools (HFSS, CST, FEKO, SENTRi, X‑Patch or equivalent) to model antenna performance, RCS signatures, aperture interactions, and airframe‑coupled electromagnetic effects.
• Develop and refine antenna and LO design concepts considering gain, VSWR, bandwidth, field of view, scan performance, polarization purity, structural constraints, and signature objectives.
• Guide the verification and validation of antenna and RF performance, including gain/pattern testing, polarization, insertion loss, and RCS measurement campaigns.
• Collaborate with systems engineering to define RF, RCS requirements; develop operational concepts; and support architecture‑level trade studies.
• Translate system‑level needs into antenna level requirements, specifications, and verification plans with clear traceability.
• Work hands on with Operations, Assembly, and Test personnel to fabricate prototypes, debug hardware, optimize builds, and support manufacturing and qualification.
• Mentor both peers and early‑career engineers in advanced EM modeling, LO techniques, prototyping and range testing.
• Present complex technical findings to internal leadership, external customers, and program stakeholders with clarity and authority.
• Contribute to technical proposals, concept generation, and competitive strategy for new business pursuits.
• Execute tasks requiring creativity, innovation, and independent technical judgment on high‑visibility programs.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external customers. Represent the organization in providing solutions to difficult technical issues associated with specific projects.
• Travel Requirements: Less than 10% annually.

Qualifications You Must Have

• Typically requires a Bachelor’s in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum of eight (8) years of relevant RF engineering experience including any combination of the following:
  • Radar Cross Section (RCS) modeling, prediction, measurement, or reduction
  • Design, fabrication, and test of antennas, phased array apertures, or RF passive components (radiators, radomes, couplers, transitions, multi‑layer RF structures, FSS).
  • Ultra‑wideband phased array development (TCDA, Vivaldi, Sliced‑Notch, PUMA, or similar).
  • Experience with EM modeling tools such as HFSS, CST, FEKO, SENTRi, X‑Patch, or related CEM software.

Qualifications We Prefer

• Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in electromagnetics, antennas, survivability, or microwave engineering.
• Experience presenting complex technical data to leadership, customers, and engineering review boards.
• Experience preparing and leading technical proposal efforts.
• Experience leading contract R&D (CRAD) or advanced development programs.
• Familiarity with structural, thermal, materials, or coatings relevant to LO apertures.
• Ability to mentor and guide multidisciplinary teams on high‑impact programs.

Why Join Raytheon’s Airborne Antenna Radomes and Apertures Team

• Work on antennas that go onto real platforms and deliver real‑world mission impact.
• Access to one of the broadest ranges of antenna technologies in industry (AESA, UWB, LO, conformal, EW, comms, radar, sensing).
• Deep technical career growth supported by nationally recognized experts.
• Collaborative environment with multidisciplinary engineering excellence.

What We Offer

Our values drive our actions, behaviors, and performance with a vision for a safer, more connected world. At RTX we value: Safety, Trust, Respect, Accountability, Collaboration, and Innovation.

This position offers relocation based on candidate eligibility.

Privacy Policy and Terms:

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The salary range for this role is 107,500 USD - 204,500 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

• medical
• dental
• vision
• life insurance
• short-term disability
• long-term disability
• 401(k) match
• flexible spending accounts
• flexible work schedules
• employee assistance program
• Employee Scholar Program
• parental leave
• paid time off
• holidays

Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long‑term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective‑bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.