Principal RF Engineer

Metrea; Victor (ID); On-site; USD 175,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical plan

HSA/FSA accounts

Dental and vision coverage

6% 401(k) match

Generous PTO

Job summary

Metrea Advanced Signals LLC seeks a Principal RF Engineer to own the RF front-end for an ISAC platform. You will translate system requirements into producible RF hardware, from trade studies to PCB layout, fabrication oversight, and bench validation.

You will work across C-band, Ka-band, and mmWave, collaborating with antenna and digital teams to ensure coherent, high‑performance front-ends while mentoring others and contributing to proposals.

Qualifications

• Degree in electrical engineering or RF/microwave discipline required.
• 10+ years designing RF hardware in radar, EW, or related systems.
• End-to-end RF subsystem ownership from architecture to test.
• Strong RF simulation, noise budgeting, and phase coherence skills.

Responsibilities

• Own RF front-end architecture for DT&E platform, from signal chain to interface.
• Design modular receive/transmit chains: LNA, PA, switching, filtering, synthesis.
• Develop LO distribution ensuring phase coherence across multi‑element systems.
• Coordinate with antenna engineer to map impedance data to matching networks.
• Lead RF PCB design end-to-end: stack-up, materials, impedance, RF co‑simulation.
• Collaborate to bring up, calibrate, and characterize RF front-end hardware.
• Address packaging, thermal, and loss challenges across bands (C/Ka/mmWave).
• Interface RF with digital subsystems: clocking, data formats, conditioning.
• Define RF test/calibration procedures for verification.
• Lead design reviews and mentor junior engineers, write technical docs.
• Contribute to proposals and RF feasibility studies.

Skills

RF front-end design

Schematic capture

PCB layout

RF cascade analysis

Noise figure budgeting

Phase-coherent LO distribution

RF test & measurement

Technical leadership

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering or RF/Microwave

Tools

Altium

OrCAD

DxDesigner

ADS

MATLAB

HFSS

CST

Job description

Company Overview

Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats.

Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service – spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.

At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack – from the lab to the field – we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It’s a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.

GroupOverview

Electromagnetic and Cyber Group (EM&C)is responsible fordeveloping flexible and survivable advanced electronic warfare and secure communications equipment while providing the industry’s leading signals intelligence, electronic warfare, and cyber experts.Metreaspecializes in signal classification, direction finding, advanced geolocation techniques, and waveform development including waveforms for MANET and LPI/LPD applications.Metreaalso develops special purpose radios for government customers andlicensesDF and geolocation solutions to multiple OEMs.

Position Summary

RADLAB is looking for a Principal RF Engineer to own the RF front‑end design for our advanced integrated sensing-and-communications (ISAC) design, test and evaluation (DT&E) platform. You will be responsible for the signal chain from the antenna element port inward through the analog‑digital interface, complementing our principal antenna engineer who owns the radiating elements and array design. Together, you will define and maintain a clean interface between the antenna and RF front‑end domains.

This is a hands‑on individual‑contributor role with significant technical leadership responsibility. You will translate system‑level requirements into producible RF hardware, starting from trade studies through schematic capture, simulation, PCB layout, fabrication oversight, and bench validation. You will work directly with our prototype engineer to bring up and characterize hardware. The DT&E platform requires RF front‑ends spanning C‑band, Ka‑band, and millimeter‑wave frequencies, so the ability to work across frequency regimes is essential.

What You’ll Do

• Own the RF front‑end architecture for the DT&E platform: signal chain topology, component selection, and interface definitions
• Design modular and testable receive and transmit signal chains: LNAs, PAs, TR switching, filtering, frequency conversion, and frequency synthesis, owning the cascade analysis, noise figure budget, linearity allocation, spurious plan, and power dissipation budget
• Develop frequency synthesis and LO distribution architectures that maintain phase coherence across multi‑element systems, owning the trade‑offs between integration, phase noise, spurious performance, and layout complexity
• Coordinate with the principal antenna engineer at the element‑port boundary: translate scan impedance data into matching network designs, feed back PA load‑pull requirements, and ensure front‑end packaging is compatible with element spacing and thermal constraints
• Own the RF PCB design intent end‑to‑end: stack‑up definition, material selection, impedance requirements, RF/EM co‑simulation, and shielding strategy. Perform layout directly or drive external layout vendors with clear constraints and review their work for RF correctness. Generate manufacturing packages and resolve DFM issues through fabrication and assembly
• Work directly with other engineers to bring up, calibrate, and characterize RF front‑end hardware. Diagnose and resolve issues from bench measurements through system‑level integration
• Design and adapt RF front‑ends across C‑band, Ka‑band, and millimeter‑wave, addressing the packaging, thermal, and loss challenges specific to each regime
• Specify and integrate RF components with digital subsystems. Collaborate with FPGA and DSP engineers on the analog‑digital interface: clocking, data formats, signal conditioning, and the analog/digital boundary
• Define RF test and calibration procedures for front‑end and system‑level performance verification
• Lead design reviews, establish RF design standards and documentation practices within RADLAB, and mentor junior engineers
• Contribute to proposals and technical white papers with RF feasibility assessments and architecture concepts

What You Bring

• BS, MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, or a closely related field
• 10+ years of professional experience designing performance‑critical RF hardware in a radar, EW, communications, or similar system context. Equivalent depth through other kinds of applied RF engineering will also be considered
• Demonstrated experience owning RF subsystems end‑to‑end: from architecture and trade studies through schematic capture, simulation, PCB layout, fabrication, bring‑up, and test
• Expert‑level proficiency in RF cascade analysis, link budget development, noise figure budgeting, and transceiver system design
• Strong hands‑on experience with RF circuit simulation (ADS, MWO, MATLAB, or equivalent) tools
• Proficiency in RF/microwave PCB design: impedance‑controlled routing, high‑frequency material selection and characterization, multi‑layer stack‑up design, and EM co‑simulation
• Experience with schematic capture and layout tools (Altium, OrCAD, DxDesigner, or equivalent)
• Deep familiarity with RF test and measurement equipment: VNA, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes, noise figure meters
• Clear technical writing and the ability to communicate design decisions, performance trade‑offs, and test results to both RF and non‑RF engineers

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience designing TR modules or multi‑channel RF front‑end hardware for active arrays
• Experience across multiple frequency regimes (C‑band through Ka‑band or mmWave), including the packaging, interconnect, and thermal management challenges that change as you move up in frequency
• Experience with EM simulation tools (HFSS, CST, or equivalent)
• Experience integrating RF front‑ends with high‑speed digital backends: ADC/DAC interfaces, JESD204B/C, FPGA‑based DDS, clocking architectures
• Familiarity with ISAC, joint radar‑communications, or cognitive/adaptive waveform concepts
• Publications or patents in relevant RF, antenna, radar, or EW domains
• An MS or PhD with research in a hardware‑intensive RF domain

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical plan options
• HSA/FSA accounts
• Dental and vision coverage
• 6% employer 401(k) match
• Fully paid parental leave for all new parents
• Generous PTO
• Life and disability insurance
• Long‑term and Short‑term disability coverage
• AD&D Coverage
• Pet Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Subsided gym membership / plans throughWellhub

Work Authorization / Security Clearance

• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States
• Must be a U.S. citizen
• This position requires the ability to obtain and hold an active, verified, and in good standing U.S. Government security clearance at the Top Secret level. Candidates will be subject to a background investigation in accordance with federal requirements.

AAP/EEO Statement

Metrea Advanced Signals LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

PositionTypeandExpectedHoursofWork

This is a full‑time exempt position with typical working hours of Monday through Friday inside of standard business hours. Hours and work shifts may changein accordance withdepartment and business needs. Exempt Employees must have the ability to be on‑call and available, as business needs require.

WorkEnvironment

Office and Lab

Travel

<5%

Base Pay Range

The compensation range shown below is a good faith estimate and reflects the expected base pay for this position upon hire. This is just one component of Metrea’s overall approach to total rewards and final compensation decisions, including the ultimate salary or hourly rate agreed upon, may vary depending on factors such as job location, job‑specific knowledge, skills, experience, and the overall negotiated compensation package. Eligible full‑time employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package designed to support their health, wellbeing, and long‑term success.

Pay Range

$175,000—$200,000 USD

Our Firmware

At Metrea, our single core value is Rooted in Humility, and our four cornerstone attributes are Entrepreneurial, Systematic, Discerning, and Over‑Deliver. These form what we call our Teammate Firmware. Just like technical firmware connects software and hardware, our Firmware is the constant interface between our mission and our people. It defines how we show up, how we work together, and how we solve complex problems.

Our team Firmware creates a web‑like, hyper‑collaborative, dynamically hierarchical way of working that helps us adapt quickly, communicate openly, and distribute decision‑making to where expertise actually lives. It enables groups to self‑organize around hard problems, shift fluidly as priorities evolve, and operate with the trust, curiosity, and discipline required in a complex mission space. This foundation allows us to deliver elegant, effective solutions and uphold our purpose: protecting our precious inheritance.