Principal RF Engineer

Leidos LLC; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Health and Wellness programs

Income Protection

Paid Leave and Retirement

Job summary

Leidos Defense in Huntsville, AL is seeking a Senior RF Engineer to design, test, and integrate RF exciters, transmitters, and receivers for aerospace and defense programs. The role emphasizes high-speed electronics, RF/microwave assemblies, and collaboration across multi-disciplinary teams in a security-sensitive environment.

The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, US citizenship, and has extensive hands-on lab experience with RF test equipment, plus ability to obtain

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or related technical field.
• US Citizenship is required and ability to obtain/maintain secret clearance.
• Minimum 12 years of experience in high-speed electronics design and/or RF hardware design, or 10+ years with MS.
• Experience in design, test, and manufacture of analog/mixed-signal PCBs or RF/microwave assemblies.
• Expertise with radar and communications principles.
• Hands-on laboratory experience with instrumentation (network/spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, signal generators).
• Capable of collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams and communicating effectively.

Responsibilities

• Design, troubleshoot, and test RF exciters, transmitters, and receivers.
• Design, troubleshoot, and test RF PCBs, modules, and chassis across multiple bands.
• Collaborate with firmware/software engineers across the product lifecycle.
• Engage with manufacturing teams to apply DFM practices and resolve issues.
• Integrate products into larger systems working with system design teams.

Skills

RF design

High-speed electronics

Radar principles

Lab instrumentation

Python

MATLAB

RF/microwave knowledge

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Network analyzers

Spectrum analyzers

Oscilloscopes

Signal generators

PCB design tools

Job description

Looking for an opportunity to make an impact? At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers' success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business. Are you ready for your next career challenge? Leidos Defense provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Solutions for Defense include enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. Our team is solving the world's toughest security challenges for customers with can't fail missions. Leidos Defense Electrical Systems Department is seeking a talented Senior RF Engineer to join a multidisciplinary team to create unique solutions to complex engineering challenges in our Huntsville, AL location. The ideal candidate will thrive in a learning environment that encourages leadership and technical growth.

Electrical Systems Department is a design-focused group of engineers specializing in advanced hardware-based solutions. As a technical contributor, the individual will support a variety of programs to develop electronic assemblies integrated into a diverse range of aerospace and military systems including manned/unmanned ground/air vehicles, missiles, defensive radars, and space systems.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design, troubleshoot, and test RF exciters, transmitters, and receivers.
• Design, troubleshoot, and test RF PCBs, modules, and chassis across several high frequency bands (L-band, S-band, C-band, X-band, Ku-band, Ka-band).
• Collaborate with firmware/software engineers throughout product lifecycle to develop application software and test equipment.
• Engage with manufacturing teams to employ DFM practices in product design, and resolving technical issues that are discovered during the manufacture and test of deliverable hardware.
• Integrate products into larger systems by working with system design teams.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related technical field.
• Candidate must have at least 12 years of experience in high-speed electronics design and/or RF hardware design or 10+ years with MS degree.
• US Citizenship is required.
• Position requires eligibility to obtain and maintain secret security clearance.
• Candidate must demonstrate experience in the design, test, and manufacture of analog/mixed-signal PCBs or integrated RF/microwave assemblies.
• Candidate must demonstrate expertise with radar and communications principles.
• Candidate must have hands-on laboratory experience with instrumentation, test equipment, and debug/test methods including use of network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, signal generators, etc.
• Position requires candidates to be capable of performing in a collaborative engineering environment working closely with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Candidate must have demonstrated experience effectively communicating within a team environment.
• Candidate must be a resident of the North Alabama area or willing to relocate to the Huntsville - North Alabama, AL area.
• Candidate must have experience and/or working knowledge of: Developing exciter, transmitter, receiver and antenna subsystems.
• Modeling, simulation, design verification testing, and characterization of RF circuits.
• MATLAB and/or Python experience simulating radar and communication signal processors EMI/EMC mitigation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Die-level / chip-and-wire technology
• VPX/VNX, FMC/FMC+, Open System Architectures
• Experience with high speed digital interfaces (JESD204B/C, PCIe, DDR5)

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers.

• competitive compensation
• Health and Wellness programs
• Income Protection
• Paid Leave and Retirement

More details are available here.

Original Posting: June 8, 2026. For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range: Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00. The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

Securing Your Data

Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information at any part of the employment application process. And Leidos will communicate with you only through emails that are sent from a Leidos.com email address. If you receive an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information, please report the email to [e-mail].

Commitment and Diversity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.