Radio Frequency (RF) Systems - Electrical Engineer

DAS Technology Group; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Stock options

401(k) plan

Life and disability insurance

Free daily meals

Job summary

DAS Technology Group is seeking an RF Engineer to design, optimize, and deploy advanced radio systems for our autonomy and airspace intelligence platform. You will own antenna design, perform RF testing, and push passive RF sensing capabilities from prototype to field deployment.

Ideal candidates have hands‑on experience with SDR platforms (USRP/HackRF/BladeRF), VNAs, and spectrum analyzers, plus strength in system integration and real‑world deployment constraints.

Qualifications

• Strong fundamentals in RF engineering, electromagnetics, and antenna theory.
• Hands-on experience with RF test equipment (spectrum analyzers, VNAs, signal generators).
• Experience designing or tuning antennas and validating RF systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, prototype, and optimize RF systems for airborne and ground‑based platforms.
• Develop, tune, and validate antenna systems for performance, range, and reliability.
• Conduct RF testing, measurement, and analysis (VNA, spectrum analyzer, SDRs).
• Improve signal integrity, reduce noise/interference, and optimize system‑level RF performance.
• Design and iterate on in‑house antenna solutions (patch, dipole, phased arrays).
• Build and test RF pipelines for passive detection and classification of wireless emitters.
• Develop and implement RF‑based localization and triangulation techniques.
• Work with SDR platforms to capture, process, and analyze RF signals in real time.
• Collaborate with software and autonomy teams to integrate RF data into higher‑level systems.
• Support field testing and deployment, debugging real‑world RF issues.
• Contribute to hardware architecture decisions across communications and sensing systems.

Skills

RF engineering

Antenna design

VNA testing

SDR usage

Signal processing

Lab testing

System integration

C/C++

Tools

USRP

HackRF

BladeRF

Spectrum analyzer

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

We're looking for an RF Engineer to design, optimize, and deploy advanced radio systems that support our autonomy and airspace intelligence platform. This role sits at the intersection of hardware, signal processing, and real‑world deployment.

You’ll own antenna design and RF performance across our systems, while also contributing to next‑generation capabilities in passive RF‑based drone detection and tracking. This is not a pure research role—you’ll be expected to build, test, iterate, and ship hardware that performs in the field.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

• Design, prototype, and optimize RF systems for airborne and ground‑based platforms
• Develop, tune, and validate antenna systems (custom and off‑the‑shelf) for performance, range, and reliability
• Conduct RF testing, measurement, and analysis (VNA, spectrum analyzer, SDRs, etc.)
• Improve signal integrity, reduce noise/interference, and optimize system‑level RF performance
• Design and iterate on in‑house antenna solutions (patch, dipole, phased arrays, etc.)
• Build and test RF pipelines for passive detection and classification of wireless emitters
• Develop and implement techniques for RF‑based localization and triangulation
• Work with SDR platforms to capture, process, and analyze RF signals in real time
• Collaborate with software and autonomy teams to integrate RF data into higher‑level systems
• Support field testing and deployment, including debugging real‑world RF issues
• Contribute to hardware architecture decisions across communications and sensing systems

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Strong fundamentals in RF engineering, electromagnetics, and antenna theory
• Hands‑on experience with RF test equipment (spectrum analyzers, VNAs, signal generators)
• Experience designing, tuning, or modifying antennas
• Solid understanding of signal propagation, interference, and link budgets
• Experience working with SDRs (e.g., USRP, HackRF, BladeRF, etc.)
• Familiarity with RF signal processing concepts (filtering, modulation, detection)
• Experience debugging real‑world RF systems
• Ability to prototype and iterate quickly in a lab environment

Preferred

• Experience with RF‑based localization / triangulation techniques (TDOA, RSSI, AoA, etc.)
• Background in passive RF sensing or spectrum monitoring
• Experience with drone communication protocols and RF signatures
• Familiarity with embedded systems or firmware (C/C++ or similar)
• Experience designing RF systems for harsh or dynamic environments (e.g., airborne systems)
• Knowledge of regulatory constraints (FCC, spectrum compliance)
• Exposure to phased arrays or beamforming systems

OUR STACK

HARDWARE / RF: Custom antennas, SDR platforms, RF test equipment.

PROCESSING: Real‑time signal processing pipelines.

SYSTEMS: Integrated with autonomy, telemetry, and distributed infrastructure.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We need someone who identifies problems, owns them end‑to‑end, and drives solutions into production.

• Think in terms of systems, not components
• Can take a vague problem and turn it into a working solution
• Are comfortable moving between theory, lab work, and field deployment
• Bias toward building and testing over excessive modeling
• Thrive in fast iteration cycles with real‑world constraints
• Want to push the boundaries of RF‑based sensing and detection

BENEFITS

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance: 100% of premiums covered for employees, 80% for dependents
• Compensation: Competitive salary with performance‑based bonuses
• Equity: Stock options offering real ownership in what you're building
• Retirement: 401(k) plan
• Insurance: Life, short‑term, and long‑term disability coverage

Perks

Free daily lunch and dinner, with snacks and drinks stocked in the office.