R&D Engineer: RF Engineer

Penn State University; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn State University ARL in State College, PA is seeking analytical RF engineers to join the Strategic Systems Operation Division within the Information Advantage Office. This role will collaborate with technical staff to research, design, develop, integrate, and test advanced wireless RF communications systems.

ARL is a DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes transitioning military members to apply. The position requires frequent travel to sponsor locations and to contractor sites, with potential

Qualifications

• Experience in the use and analysis of passive and active RF systems.
• Experience with troubleshooting, measuring, and designing RF systems.
• Knowledge in RF circuit implementation, design, test, and analysis.
• Experience with electromagnetic and acoustic fundamentals in RF frequencies.
• Agility with link budget theory and RF fundamentals.
• Awareness of Nyquist sampling zones and up-down conversions.

Responsibilities

• Apply RF expertise to research and develop systems with national/international impact.
• Ensure on-time completion of project tasks.
• Develop and deliver updates on program status to Fleet-level personnel.
• Interact with engineers, sponsors, and stakeholders.
• Contribute as a key member of a multi-disciplinary engineering team.

Skills

RF systems

Troubleshooting

Antenna theory

Phased arrays

RF measurement

Software radio

Link budget

RF simulations

PCB design for RF

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering

PhD in Electrical Engineering

Tools

CST

XFdtd

ADS

Genesis

Spice

Job description

POSITION SPECIFICS

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

Your working location will be fully on-site in State College, PA, but options exist for limited hybrid of on-site/work from home, based on project-dependent ability. This role requires frequent travel to sponsor locations in the Beltway area and to contractor and second party locations within and outside the continental United States. Trip lengths may be up to 2 weeks in duration.

Position Summary

We are searching for analytical RF engineers to join the Strategic Systems Operation Division within the Information Advantage Office at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. This role will collaborate with technical staff to research, design, develop, integrate, and test advanced wireless RF communications systems.

ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

You Will:

• Apply your expertise in RF to contribute to programs of national or international impact by identifying emerging challenges, research trends, and future opportunities
• Ensure technical excellence and on-time completion of all project tasks
• Develop and deliver clear updates on program status to Fleet-level personnel at both individual and community meetings
• Interact and collaborate regularly with the engineering team, principal investigator, sponsors, and other stakeholders
• Embrace ARL's mission to discover, demonstrate, transition, and educate while contributing as a key member of a multi-disciplinary engineering team

Required Skills/Experience areas include:

• Experience in the use and analysis of passive and active RF systems
• Experience with troubleshooting, measuring, and designing RF systems
• Knowledge in the areas of RF circuit implementation, design, test, and analysis
• Experience with electromagnetic and acoustic fundamentals in the areas of Acoustic, VLF, UHF, and microwave frequencies
• Agility with link budget theory and RF fundamentals
• Facility with conversions from analog to digital domains, or equivalent
• Awareness of Nyquist sampling zones and up-down block conversions
• Working experience with software radio architectures and RF sensitivity analytics
• RF simulation experience in analog and digital domains using tools such as CST, XFdtd, ADS, Genesis, Spice, etc.
• Familiarity with breadboard layout and evaluation required in PCB design supporting RF prototype design applications
• Knowledge of phased arrays and fundamental electromagnetic theory
• Understanding of antenna theory and measurements required for meeting RF systematic requirements
• Systematic troubleshooting of operating systems and input-output debugging
• Experience in field testing and major exercises supporting prototype transitional efforts
• Prior success collaborating with peers from other engineering disciplines to integrate systematic designs and modify RF circuitry to interface with software infrastructure
• Success in environments where various forms of communication and organizational skills were crucial to be effective
• Demonstrated capacity to balance detail-oriented thinking while maintaining the ability to see the "big picture"

Preferred Skills/Experience areas include:

• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility to the TS/SCI level
• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in Electrical Engineering

MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS

• If filled as R&D Engineer - Electronics (ARL) - Principal Professional, this position requires:
  • Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science
  • 19+ years of relevant experience
  • Required Certifications: None
• If filled as Engineering Technologist, Electrical (ARL) - Senior Professional, this position requires:
  • Bachelor's Degree
  • 6+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted
  • Required Certifications: None

ARL's purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at www.arl.psu.