Radio Frequency Wireless Engineering, Senior Advisor

Peraton; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 234,000; Full time

Job summary

Peraton is seeking an experienced RF Wireless Engineering Advisor to lead RF link budget analyses and optimize wireless system performance. You will translate requirements into quantitative models and guide architecture, deployment, and operations.

The role requires deep expertise in RF budgets, propagation, antennas, and end-to-end RF engineering, with collaboration across multidisciplinary teams to ensure coverage, capacity, and reliability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering required; Master’s preferred.
• Demonstrated expert-level experience in RF link budgets and RF system performance.
• Experience with RF propagation, antennas, transmission lines, and wireless systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop RF link budgets for terrestrial, satellite, cellular, private wireless, or tactical systems.
• Translate system requirements into quantitative RF performance models and assess margins.
• Collaborate with RF, antenna, systems, network, hardware, software, and field engineers to meet performance goals.

Skills

RF link budgets

RF propagation

Antenna theory

Trade studies

Technical writing

Education

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

STK

ADS

HFSS

CST

Atoll

Pathloss

Job description

Responsibilities

We are seeking an experienced Radio Frequency (RF) Wireless Engineering Advisor with deep expertise in RF link budget analysis, wireless system performance, and end-to-end radio frequency engineering.

The successful candidate will serve as a senior technical authority responsible for developing, validating, and optimizing RF link budgets across wireless communication systems. This role requires the ability to translate system requirements into quantitative RF performance models, identify link-margin limitations, assess propagation and interference impacts, and provide engineering recommendations that support architecture, design, deployment, and operational decisions.

The Advisor will work across multidisciplinary engineering teams—including RF, antenna, systems, network, hardware, software, and field engineering—to ensure wireless systems achieve required coverage, capacity, availability, reliability, and performance objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• RF Link Budget Analysis
• Develop comprehensive uplink and downlink RF link budgets for terrestrial, satellite, cellular, private wireless, tactical, or other wireless communication systems.
• Calculate and validate key link-budget parameters, including:
  • Transmit power and EIRP
  • Receiver sensitivity
  • Antenna gain and losses
  • Cable, connector, feeder, and implementation losses
  • Free-space path loss
  • Atmospheric and environmental losses
  • Fading and shadowing margins
  • Polarization losses
  • Noise figure and system noise temperature
  • Thermal noise and noise bandwidth
  • Receiver G/T where applicable
  • Carrier-to-noise ratio (C/N)
  • Carrier-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (C/(I+N))
  • Eb/N₀ and related digital link-performance metrics
  • Required and available link margin
• Develop link budgets for different frequency bands, modulation schemes, bandwidths, antenna configurations, propagation environments, and operating conditions.
• Perform best-case, nominal, worst-case, and statistical link-budget analyses.
• Establish appropriate engineering margins based on system availability and reliability requirements.
• Identify link-budget sensitivities and determine which parameters have the greatest impact on system performance.
• Perform trade studies involving transmit power, antenna gain, receiver performance, bandwidth, coding/modulation, frequency selection, and deployment configuration.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• TS/SCI with relevant Polygraph
• Minimum of 12 years with BS/BA; Minimum of 10 years with MS/MA; Minimum of 7 years with Ph.D.; an additional four years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree
• Demonstrated expert-level experience developing and reviewing RF link budgets.
• Strong understanding of RF propagation, antennas, transmission lines, receivers, transmitters, and wireless communication systems.
• Strong understanding of:
  • RF power and gain/loss calculations
  • dB/dBm/dBW conversions
  • Noise figure and noise temperature
  • Receiver sensitivity
  • C/N, C/I, C/(N+I), and Eb/N₀
  • Free-space and non-free-space path loss
  • Fade and implementation margins
  • Antenna gain, beamwidth, polarization, and pointing considerations
  • Modulation and coding impacts on RF performance
• Experience performing quantitative RF trade studies and sensitivity analyses.
• Ability to independently review and validate complex RF engineering analyses.
• Strong technical writing, presentation, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, RF Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related discipline.
• Experience with 5G/4G, private LTE/5G, satellite communications, microwave, tactical communications, or other advanced wireless systems.
• Experience with RF propagation and coverage modeling tools.
• Experience with tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, Python, STK, ADS, HFSS, CST, Atoll, Pathloss, or comparable RF engineering software.
• Experience with RF test equipment, including spectrum analyzers, signal generators, network analyzers, power meters, and related instrumentation.
• Knowledge of antenna system design and characterization.
• Experience with link availability and reliability analysis.
• Familiarity with applicable IEEE, ITU, 3GPP, FCC, or other relevant RF/wireless standards and regulations.
• Experience supporting field deployment, drive testing, RF acceptance testing, or system verification.
• Experience leading technical teams or serving as a senior engineering consultant/advisor.

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Target Salary Range

$146,000 - $234,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.