Principle RFIC Engineer

Judge Consulting Group; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Judge Consulting Group is seeking a Principal RFIC Engineer to set the technical direction for our beamformer ICs used in phased array systems. You will influence product and silicon roadmaps and establish architectures and design culture for the team.

You will lead RFIC design from architecture through tape-out and silicon validation, collaborating with antenna, digital, and DSP teams. A hands-on leader, you will mentor others and tackle the most challenging RF problems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years RFIC or RF/mm-wave circuit design experience with leadership.
• Proficiency with Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre, ADS and EM simulators.
• Strong RF fundamentals including matching, noise, linearity, and S-parameters.

Responsibilities

• Design RFIC beamformers and RF/mm-wave blocks for phased arrays.
• Lead design from spec to tape-out and silicon validation.
• Run circuit and system simulations: linearity, noise, gain/phase, power.
• Collaborate with antenna, digital, and DSP teams for RFIC performance.
• Support lab characterization, debugging, and fabrication iterations.
• Define RFIC architectures and tackle complex design challenges.
• Set RFIC roadmap direction; influence system trade-offs.
• Establish design flows, methodology, and standards; mentor team.

Skills

RFIC design

RF/mm-wave design

Leadership in design

S-parameters

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

MSc or PhD in RFIC design

Tools

Cadence Virtuoso

Spectre

ADS

EMX

HFSS

Momentum

Job description

We’re looking for a Principal RFIC Engineer to set the technical direction for the advanced beamformer integrated circuits at the heart of our phased array solutions. As a foundational technical leader, you’ll help set the direction of both our product and silicon roadmap, define the architectures that underpin our systems, and establish the design culture and methodology the team scales on.

You’ll work across RFIC design from architecture through tape‑out and bring‑up, partnering closely with antenna, digital, and DSP teams. As a principal‑level individual contributor, you’ll be the person others turn to on the hardest RF problems, and the decisions you make will ripple through every product we build.

Responsibilities

• Design RFIC beamformers and associated RF/mm-wave building blocks (phase shifters, attenuators, LNAs, PAs, mixers, switches) for phased array systems
• Drive designs from specification and architecture definition through schematic, layout, tape‑out, and silicon validation
• Run circuit and system‑level simulations covering linearity, noise, gain/phase control accuracy, and power
• Collaborate with antenna, digital, and DSP teams to ensure RFIC performance meets full‑system requirements
• Support lab characterization, debug, and design iteration of fabricated parts
• Define RFIC architectures and lead the most complex and ambiguous design challenges
• Set technical direction across the RFIC roadmap and influence system‑level trade‑offs
• Establish design flows, methodology, and standards; mentor and elevate the broader team

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field
• 10+ years of relevant experience in RFIC or RF/mm-wave circuit design, with a track record of leading complex designs from architecture through silicon
• Expert proficiency with industry‑standard design and simulation tools (e.g., Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre, ADS, and EM simulators such as EMX, HFSS, or Momentum)
• Authoritative grounding in RF fundamentals: matching, noise, linearity, and S‑parameters

Preferred Qualifications

• MSc or PhD with a focus on RFIC design
• Experience designing beamformers or phased array front‑end ICs
• Familiarity with mm-wave design and silicon technologies (SiGe BiCMOS, CMOS, GaAs/GaN)
• Experience taking designs through tape‑out and post‑silicon validation
• Background in communications or radar system requirements