Principal RF Design Engineer

TAMPA MICROWAVE

Clearwater (FL)

On-site

USD 140,000 - 210,000

Full time

8 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Yearly Incentive Bonus Program

401(k) up to 5% company contribution

PTO and 10 paid holidays per year

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid parental leave

Medical/dental/vision insurance

9/80 Work Schedule

Onsite role

Job summary

Tampa Microwave is seeking a Principal RF Design Engineer at its Clearwater, FL site to lead advanced SATCOM systems including antennas, RF components, and transceiver modules. You will work with manufacturing to realize high‑reliability, multi‑orbit solutions for DoD programs.

This role requires a strong background in RF design, system integration, and verification, with direct responsibility for deriving hardware specifications and ensuring Mil‑STD compliance.

Qualifications

U.S. Citizenship required.
Master’s Degree in Science or equivalent in Engineering, Mathematics or Physics with MBA or equivalent business education/experience.
Minimum 15 years of experience in military or commercial SATCOM.

Responsibilities

Design, simulate, and select RF components with layout development and testing.
Collaborate on analog design addressing power for RF systems and logic integration.
Develop land-based SATCOM modules: receive/transmit, modems, antennas, power supplies.
Translate system requirements into hardware specs for modular RF products.
Lead hardware/software requirements for ground-based SATCOM products.
Perform link budget analysis for GEO, MEO, LEO in X/Ku/Ka bands.
Design waveguides and high-performance filters up to 40 GHz.
Interface with satellite providers and government entities for certifications.
Develop test specs and verification matrices to meet Mil STD and industry standards.
Maintain structured design processes from requirements to production and support.

Skills

RF design

SATCOM

Systems engineering

Project leadership

Education

Master’s degree in Engineering/Math/Physics

MBA or equivalent business education/experience

Ph.D. (preferred)

Job description

Tampa Microwave is a leading manufacturer and supplier of Manpack & Fly Away satellite terminals designed and built for the expeditionary user community to guarantee communications connectivity in the most austere environments. Tampa Microwave primarily serves Federal and Department of Defense markets.

We are seeking a Principal RF Design Engineer to join our team at our Clearwater, FL location. This position will report to the Product Design Manager.

The ideal candidate will focus on advancing multi-orbit SATCOM systems, dedicated to developing cutting‑edge, first‑class SATCOM solutions that meet the stringent requirements of the Department of Defense across all military branches. The role involves contributing to an innovative portfolio of SATCOM designs, including Parabola Antennas, RF components, ESA, modem integration, and mechanically steered positioners.

Top Benefits

Competitive Salary
Yearly Incentive Bonus Program
Generous 401(k) program - up to 5% company contribution and 100% immediate vesting
PTO and 10 paid holidays per year
Tuition Reimbursement
Paid parental leave policy
Medical/dental/vision insurance for self & eligible family members
9/80 Work Schedule (every other Friday off)
Onsite role

Responsibilities

Expertise in designing, simulating, and selecting components, including layout development and optimization, leading to successful final prototype creation and testing.
Collaborate on analog design to address power requirements and considerations in relation to RF designs, including integration with logic circuits.
Design, analyze, develop, and integrate land‑based satellite communication (SATCOM) systems, including receive/transmit modules, modem modules, power supply modules, antennas, and related RF components in collaboration with manufacturing teams.
Break down high‑level system requirements into detailed hardware specifications to enable the design and development of modular RF products for optimized performance and scalability.
Lead as Project Engineer in the development of system‑level hardware and software requirements for new or enhanced ground‑based SATCOM products, including transceivers, modems, antennas, and overall system solutions.
Conduct link budget analysis for GEO, MEO, and LEO satellite ground‑based SATCOM terminals, operating across X-, Ku-, and Ka‑bands.
Skilled in the design of waveguide structures and high‑performance filters for systems operating up to 40 GHz.
Serve as interface with satellite providers and government entities that issue certifications that permit our terminals to operate on systems such as Inmarsat, SES, FCC, and the DoD’s WGS constellations. Collect and review technical data prior to submission.
Develop test specifications and verification matrices that facilitate the conduct of testing to determine hardware / software compliance to Mil STD and industry standards of performance. Analyze test data to identify non‑compliances and lead the engineering team in identifying corrective action.
Enforce and contribute to the company’s structured design process that stretches from hardware / software requirements generation through production transition to aftermarket support. Accomplish this task through development of system requirements for TM products, participation in system requirements reviews, design reviews and production readiness reviews. Ensure that requirements for traceability exist in all performance specifications issued to the Company’s suppliers.
Coordinate evolving technical requirements with business development personnel to ensure TM develops the technology required to meet future requirements in our marketplace. Create system requirements and architecture that support the company’s business development strategy.
Participate in the Company’s make / buy decisions for key technology.
Participate in proposal preparation. Identify and incorporate themes that are important to customers into our written submissions. Join in pricing reviews to identify risks to cost, schedule and technical performance.
Communicate with and cultivate productive relationships with current and potential customers.
Exhibit the following personal characteristics: superior communication skills, sound judgment, effective listening techniques and incisive deductive reasoning ability.
Openly display a commitment to ethical business conduct and appropriate social behavior while representing TM on or off our premises.

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions:

U.S. Citizenship Required.
Master’s Degree of Science degree or equivalent in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics combined with MBA or equivalent level of business education or experience.
Minimum 15 years of experience in military or commercial SATCOM.

Preferred but not required qualifications