Radar Frequency (RF) Engineers

Science Applications International Corp.; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC is seeking an RF Engineer Subject Matter Expert to join the Space and Intelligence Business Group in Denver, CO. You will work on a crown jewel IC/DoD program involving space/counter-space engineering, providing highly technical services with direct impact on program development and operations.

The ideal candidate will bring deep experience in space RF systems, DSP, and satellite operations within SCI/SAP environments, and will contribute to complex modeling, testing, and analysis across

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or mathematics with substantial RF experience.
• Master’s or PhD in RF engineering, physics, electrical engineering or mathematics preferred.
• Experience with space systems and IC/DoD environments (SCI/SAP) is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Conduct specialized RF studies and provide assessments for program managers or satellite owners/operators.
• Lead physics-based modeling, simulation and analysis of RF signals between satellites and ground stations.
• Assess RF transmission parameters and perform link-budget analyses and sensitivity calculations.
• Collaborate in meetings and technical reviews with government civilians and contractors.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of space domain awareness capabilities and counter-space threats.

Skills

RF engineering

Space system RF

DSP

IC/DoD satellite

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/physics/mathematics

Master’s or PhD in RF engineering/phys/E.E./math

Tools

MATLAB

Python

C++

Fortran

MS Excel

Job description

SAIC is seeking an Radio Frequency (RF) Engineer Subject Matter Expert (SME) to join the Space and Intelligence Business Group. You would work on a joint Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD) crown jewel program providing highly specialized space/counter-space engineering, scientific, and analytical services from Denver, Colorado. We support the Nation's leading edge IC and DoD space programs and offer compelling, deep-technical work that has direct influence and impact on program development and operations. Our team has SMEs across a variety of disciplines, including physics, math, RF, optics, space acquisition and operations, and intelligence collection and analysis.

This position qualifies for enhanced benefits.

This RF SME will work in a collaborative team-focused environment of U.S. Government civilians and contractors solving applied technical problems and developing usable solutions for multiple space-related capabilities and threats.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Domain expert-level knowledge and experience with space systems RF engineering, operations, space threats and protection, radiometry or radioastronomy (RA) , and digital signal processing (DSP)
• Deep experience in space RF signals, RF payload operations, or signal extraction and processing
• Extensive experience with IC and/or DoD satellite systems in Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) or Special Access Program (SAP) environments

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Conducting specialized technical studies related to RF systems, targets, and data products to provide assessments and actionable solutions for program managers or satellite owner/operators
• Leading and participating in complex physics-based modeling, simulation and analysis, and conducting technical trades
• Ability to conceptualize, synthesize, analyze, and assess the performance of specialized RF communications signals between satellites and ground stations using state-of-the-art signal processing analytic techniques
• Maintenance and use of specialized hardware and software designed for the detection of low power signals in high noise environments running under a LINUX operating system
• Modeling and assessment of RF transmission and reception parameters such as antenna patterns, signal-to-noise ratios, noise uncertainty, signal strength, bit error rates, among others, to perform link budget analyses and probability of detect calculations
• Participating in the collection and analysis of test and experimental signals in laboratory and real-world environments, serving as lead when requested
• Assess the risk of detecting specific low power signals in high noise environments from threat and non-threat systems
• Achieving detailed understanding of multiple satellite systems, designs, operations and classifications to make design or Concepts of Operations (CONOPs) recommendations
• Developing and maintaining in-depth knowledge of U.S. Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capabilities, as well as Foreign SDA capabilities and counter-space threats with an emphasis on RF systems
• Participating and representing the customer in various Government and contractor meetings and attending contractor programmatic and technical reviews (e.g. PMR, PDR, CDR, etc.) to provide technical recommendations and risk assessments
• Frequently interacting with program managers, SETAs, FFRDCs and external stakeholders
• Developing productive relationships with the Program Office, Prime, and Subcontract counterparts, functional IC or DoD counterparts, and other SMEs

Bachelors and nine (9) years or more experience; Masters and seven (7) years or more experience ; PhD or JD and four (4) years or more experiencMinimum of a bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or mathematics and 18 o [DO1] r more years of direct experience with RF signal processing and/or satellite communication systems

Proven experience in analytic problem-solving relating to the exploitation of RF data of space-objects, including familiarity with RF data products, and signal processing techniques

Have knowledge and experience with the performance of specialized RF communications signals between satellites and ground stations

Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience conveying technical concepts, results, and summaries to internal customers, external customers, and stakeholders of diverse technical backgrounds

Demonstrated record of effective individual and group work behaviors, with abilities to proactively initiate and operate in dynamic and incompletely defined environments

Fluent in specialized software tools or programming languages relevant for space system analyses, such as MATLAB, Python, C++, Fortran, and MS Excel

Strongly Desired Skills:

• Master's or Doctorate Degree in RF Engineering, Signal Processing, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or Mathematics
• Experience in satellite development factory or space system program office (SPO), particularity with Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) systems
• Proven exp