Principal Radio Frequency Engineer

European Tech Recruit; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

European Tech Recruit in Mountain View is seeking a Principal RF Payload Lead Engineer to own the architecture, design, development and on-orbit performance of RF satellite payloads. You will lead the technical solution from requirements to mission operations across the full stack.

You will drive phased-array antenna design, beamforming, link budgets and OTA testing, collaborating with RAN/NTN teams to ensure 3GPP NTN compatibility and regulatory adherence for direct-to-device connectivity.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in RF or communications systems engineering.
• Deep knowledge of phased-array antennas and RF front ends.
• Strong background in 4G/5G/NR and satellite links.

Responsibilities

• Own payload architecture including antennas, RF front ends, and waveform selection.
• Lead end-to-end design, testing, and production deployment.
• Coordinate with RAN/NTN teams for compatibility with standards.

Skills

Phased-array antennas

EM solvers

RF simulation tools

Beamforming

Tools

VNA

Spectrum Analyzers

Job description

Principal RF Payload Lead Engineer - Mountain View (Hybrid) - Scale-up - Equity Included

About the Role

We are seeking a Principal RF Payload Lead Engineer to take end-to-end ownership of the architecture, design, development, and on-orbit performance of RF communications payloads for direct-to-device satellite connectivity. You will lead the complete technical solution, spanning requirements, system architecture, hardware delivery, integration, testing, and mission operations support. As

Key Responsibilities

• Own the complete payload architecture, including phased-array antennas, RF front ends, frequency planning, and waveform selection aligned with cellular standards.
• Lead phased-array design and analysis, focusing on beamforming strategies, scan performance, EIRP, G/T, coverage optimization, and handover mechanisms.
• Manage end-to-end link budgets, modulation and coding, Doppler compensation, interference analysis, and regulatory considerations.
• Oversee functional testing, RF performance verification, over-the-air (OTA) testing, and environmental qualification.
• Partner with RAN and core network engineering teams to ensure full compatibility with 3GPP and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) behavior across satellite links.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in RF or communications systems engineering.
• Demonstrated expertise in phased-array antennas, EM solvers, RF simulation tools, and laboratory test equipment (e.g., VNAs, Spectrum Analyzers).
• Deep technical understanding of cellular standards (4G LTE, 5G NR) and 3GPP NTN satellite architectures.
• Proven track record of taking RF systems from initial architecture through build, test, and production deployment.