Principal Research & Development (R&D) Engineer

Motorola Solutions; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive Bonus Plans

Medical, Dental, Vision coverage

401(k) with Company Match

10 Paid Holidays

Generous Paid Time Off

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Paid Parental & Family Leave

Job summary

Motorola Solutions seeks a Principal R&D Engineer to lead advanced wireless system development. Location: West Los Angeles with a hybrid schedule (onsite three days weekly). The role oversees multi-disciplinary teams, designs and tests RF and digital subsystems, and drives program schedules from concept to field testing.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in wireless design, strong leadership, and proven success delivering complex technology programs for government and industry clients.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in the design and development of wireless systems.
• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated experience in technical project leadership.
• Participation in the complete technology development cycle: design to field testing.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen due to clients under U.S. government contracts.
• All employment contingent upon successful background check and drug test.

Responsibilities

• Technical management of R&D projects and programs, including system design and requirement specification.
• Hands-on design, simulation, and verification work; oversee simulation, software, FPGA, and testing efforts.
• Customer-facing engagement and technical material preparation when needed.
• Participate in R&D business development and capture efforts (whitepapers, proposals).
• Collaborate with senior R&D team on large, team-wide projects and portfolio.
• Travel as needed for customer interactions and demonstrations.

Education

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field

Tools

C/C++

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Principal Research & Development (R&D) Engineer

Location: West Los Angeles, CA. Hybrid schedule with a minimum of 3 onsite days per week (Mon, Wed, Thu). Based at Silvus Technologies headquarters. Reports to the Vice President of Research & Development.

Responsibilities

• Technical management of Research and Development projects and programs, including:
  • Overall system design and requirement specification.
  • Setting and tracking development schedules and tasks.
  • Hands‑on design, simulation, and verification work.
  • Overseeing relevant simulation, software, FPGA, and testing efforts.
  • Customer‑facing engagement and technical material preparation when needed.
  • Reporting to management for strategic planning and assessment.
• Participate in R&D business development and capture efforts, including:
  • Whitepaper and proposal preparation.
  • Understanding current technology and pitching future enhancements and strategies.
  • Communicating (telephone/email/in-person) engagement with government and industry.
• Collaborate with the senior R&D team on:
  • Executing large, team‑wide projects.
  • Setting a comprehensive team‑wide technology portfolio and pipeline.
• Supervisory/Management responsibilities:
  • Supervise a team of engineers to fulfill project needs.
  • Draft job descriptions and screen/interview engineering candidates.
• Travel as needed for customer interactions, test and demonstration events, or team meetings at Los Angeles headquarters or other locations.
• Perform other related duties as needed.

Travel & Work Environment

• Travel 10-25%.
• Work in an office environment; occasional exposure to heat, cold, and allergens during field tests or demonstrations.
• Physical requirements: lift up to 20 lbs; bend, reach, kneel, squat, walk or move in labs.

Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related communication and/or engineering technology field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in the design and development of wireless systems.
• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated experience in technical project leadership.
• Participation in the complete technology development cycle: design to field testing.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen due to clients under U.S. government contracts.
• All employment contingent upon successful background check and drug test.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Simulation and prototyping software: C/C++, MATLAB, Python, etc.
• Radio frequency propagation, channel modeling, digital communication.
• Wireless ad‑hoc mesh networking, medium access, and routing algorithms.
• Signal processing algorithms, MIMO, OFDM, beam‑nulling, etc.
• Cognitive radio in congested and contested spectrum, interference mitigation.
• Radio frequency sensing, signal detection, classification.
• Technical writing, proposal preparation, and technical presentation.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• Office environment.
• Occasional exposure to heat, cold, and allergens during field tests or demonstrations.
• Physical tasks: lift up to 20 lbs; bend, reach, kneel, squat, walk/move in labs.

Compensation

$180,000 - $250,000 annually. Pay within this range varies and depends on job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. The actual offer will be based on the individual candidate.

Benefits

• Incentive Bonus Plans
• Medical, Dental, Vision benefits
• 401(k) with Company Match
• 10 Paid Holidays
• Generous Paid Time Off Packages
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Paid Parental & Family Leave

Other Job Information

• Relocation Provided: Domestic
• Position Type: Experienced
• Referral Payment Plan: Yes

EEO Statement

Motorola Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally‑protected characteristic.