Principal Connectivity Engineer

Neros Technologies; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 255,000 - 357,000; Full time

Job summary

Neros Technologies is seeking a Principal Connectivity Systems Engineer to define the technical future of our drone connectivity. You will own the architecture connecting FPV drones, ground stations, repeaters, radios, antennas, embedded systems, and video links to deliver field-ready solutions at startup speed.

The role requires moving between communications theory and RF hardware, with responsibilities spanning architecture reviews, cross-functional collaboration, and mentoring engineers.

Qualifications

• Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, ECE, RF/ Microwave, or related field.
• 12+ years designing, architecting, or leading complex wireless or embedded systems.
• Strong understanding of link budgets, modulation, and RF tradeoffs.
• Experience coupling RF hardware with embedded software and power constraints.
• Ability to lead architecture decisions across engineering disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end connectivity system architecture for FPV drone platforms and ground systems.
• Translate platform requirements into wireless architectures and roadmaps.
• Make architecture-level tradeoffs across RF performance, antennas, and latency.
• Define future video, C2, telemetry, mesh, and ground-to-air connectivity capabilities.
• Lead cross-disciplinary architecture reviews and feasibility assessments.
• Collaborate with RF, electrical, embedded software, systems, and leadership teams.
• Mentor principal and senior engineers and identify risks early.

Skills

Connectivity system architecture

RF/antenna expertise

Embedded software judgment

System-level design

Mentoring seniors

Trade-off analysis

Proposal writing

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Leadership experience

Education

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Job description

Neros is a defense technology company rebuilding America’s drone industrial base. We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at startup speed, and built at massive scale. Our team culture is fast, hands-on, and obsessed with closing the gap between design and deployment.

As drones transform the character of warfare, Neros is delivering the systems the West needs to compete on the modern battlefield and deter the adversaries of democracy. We’re hiring engineers, operators, and builders who want to move fast, take on extreme ownership, and get capability into the hands of warfighters in months, not years.

What you will be doing

As a Principal Connectivity Systems Engineer, you will define the technical future of Neros connectivity systems. You will own the architecture that connects our FPV drones, ground stations, repeaters, radios, antennas, embedded systems, video links, command-and-control links, and platform-level electrical constraints into a coherent system that works in the field. This is a principal-level architecture role for someone who can move between communications theory, RF hardware, embedded systems, electrical design, platform integration, test strategy, and product requirements without losing sight of what can be built at startup speed.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end connectivity system architecture for current and future FPV drone platforms, ground systems, and supporting infrastructure
• Translate long-term platform requirements into wireless system architectures, development roadmaps, technical proposals, and executable engineering plans
• Make architecture-level tradeoffs across RF performance, link budget, waveform/modulation, antennas, embedded compute, power, thermal, latency, reliability, manufacturability, and schedule
• Define the future of Neros video, command-and-control, telemetry, repeater, mesh, point-to-point, and ground-to-air connectivity capabilities
• Serve as the connectivity team's technical authority in cross-disciplinary architecture reviews, platform decisions, proposal reviews, and feasibility assessments
• Partner with RF design, electrical, embedded software, systems, mechanical, manufacturing, test, product, and leadership teams to turn ambiguous requirements into working systems
• Identify technical risks, infeasible approaches, and missing requirements early enough to change direction quickly, and mentor principal, senior, and staff engineers

You should have the following

• Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field
• 12+ years of experience designing, architecting, integrating, or leading complex wireless, RF, embedded, electrical, or communications systems
• Deep understanding of wireless communication systems: link budgets, modulation, coding, receiver sensitivity, interference, coexistence, propagation, latency, throughput, reliability, and system-level RF tradeoffs
• Experience architecting systems that combine RF hardware, antennas, embedded software, electrical interfaces, power constraints, and real-world operating requirements
• Demonstrated ability to lead ambiguous, architecture-level technical decisions across multiple engineering disciplines
• Strong electrical engineering fundamentals: power, signal integrity, digital interfaces, mixed-signal systems, sensors, compute, and embedded hardware constraints
• Strong embedded systems judgment: firmware/software architecture, hardware-software interfaces, real-time constraints, telemetry, diagnostics, and field-update considerations
• Experience taking wireless or embedded hardware systems from concept through prototype, validation, field test, production readiness, or deployment
• Ability to write clear technical proposals, architecture documents, trade studies, and development plans for technical and executive audiences
• Track record of mentoring senior technical contributors and influencing engineering direction without relying only on organizational authority

Nice to have

• Drone or UAV connectivity: Experience architecting wireless systems for drones, FPV platforms, robotics, aircraft, or mobile ground systems
• Video and C2 links: Experience with low-latency video links, command-and-control links, telemetry links, mesh radios, point-to-point radios, or contested RF environments
• Full-stack radio systems: Experience spanning RF front ends, antennas, digital baseband, embedded software, networking, and system-level performance
• Fielded hardware: Experience shipping or deploying wireless hardware that had to work outside the lab in harsh, mobile, or high-consequence environments
• Principal-level technical leadership / defense context: Setting architecture for multiple teams, mentoring principal engineers, or acting as final technical reviewer; EW-aware communications, resilient links, tactical radios, or high-reliability systems

US Salary Range

$255,000 – $357,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Neros' total compensation package.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Neros Technologies’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.