RF and Communications Engineer

Powerus; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Powerus is seeking an RF and Communications Engineer to design, integrate, and validate the datalink and communications systems across unmanned platforms. This role requires U.S.

Person status and involves access to export-controlled data. You will own C2 and telemetry link architecture, antenna placement, link budgets, and RF integration, collaborating with hardware, embedded software, GNC, and flight test teams.

Qualifications

• Degree in electrical engineering, communications engineering, physics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience designing, integrating, or testing RF and wireless communication systems in a hardware product.
• Hands-on with RF test equipment and over-the-air testing.
• Knowledge of link budgets, modulation, coding, propagation, and antenna fundamentals.
• Experience troubleshooting RF problems on real hardware and EMI issues.

Responsibilities

• Design and specify command-and-control, telemetry, and payload datalinks across the platform family.
• Build and validate link budgets, and characterize real-world range, margin, and coverage through ground and flight testing.
• Select, integrate, and evaluate radios, amplifiers, filters, and antennas against mission requirements.
• Design antenna placement and integration on the airframe, accounting for pattern distortion and installed performance.
• Investigate and mitigate interference, desense, and self-jamming between onboard radios, motors, and payloads.
• Define link resilience behavior and loss-of-link response with GNC and flight software.
• Support spectrum planning, frequency coordination, and RF-related regulatory and program compliance.
• Document RF architecture, test methods, and validation evidence for internal and customer review.

Skills

RF engineering

Datalink design

Antenna theory

Test and measurement

Spectrum analysis

EMI troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering

Equivalent practical experience

Tools

Spectrum analyzers

Vector network analyzers

Signal generators

Job description

Powerus is building a next-generation American autonomous systems platform designed to move, protect, and sustain critical assets in high-consequence environments. The company combines advanced autonomy, manufacturing capability, operational expertise, and strategic acquisitions to support defense, national security, critical infrastructure, and commercial operations globally.

Mission

Our mission is to deliver resilient autonomous technologies that strengthen national security, improve operational safety, and expand the capabilities of organizations operating in complex environments.

Why Join Powerus

An unmanned aircraft is only as capable as the link that reaches it. As Powerus scales its platforms into defense and national security work, the command, control, and telemetry links have to hold up in environments where the spectrum is crowded, degraded, or actively contested - and where losing the link is an operational event, not an inconvenience.

This role owns that layer end to end. You will select and integrate the radios, design and place the antennas, characterize real range and margin instead of datasheet range, and define how the aircraft behaves when the link thins out or drops entirely.

Position Overview

Powerus is seeking an RF and Communications Engineer to design, integrate, and validate the datalink and communications systems across our unmanned platforms. This position requires U.S. Person status, as the work involves access to export-controlled technical data. You will own C2 and telemetry link architecture, antenna selection and placement, link budgets, and the RF integration work that decides whether a design performs in the field. You will work closely with hardware, embedded software, GNC, and flight test, and you will spend real time at the range with a spectrum analyzer rather than only at a desk.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and specify command-and-control, telemetry, and payload datalinks across the platform family
• Build and validate link budgets, and characterize real-world range, margin, and coverage through ground and flight testing
• Select, integrate, and evaluate radios, amplifiers, filters, and antennas against mission requirements
• Design antenna placement and integration on the airframe, accounting for pattern distortion, structure, and installed performance
• Investigate and mitigate interference, desense, and self-jamming between onboard radios, motors, and payloads
• Define link resilience behavior - frequency agility, degraded-link operation, and loss-of-link response - with GNC and flight software
• Support spectrum planning, frequency coordination, and RF-related regulatory and program compliance
• Document RF architecture, test methods, and validation evidence for internal and customer review

Qualifications

• Must be located in the United States, within commuting distance of Charlotte, NC
• Degree in electrical engineering, communications engineering, physics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
• Experience designing, integrating, or testing RF and wireless communication systems in a hardware product
• Working knowledge of link budgets, modulation and coding, propagation, and antenna fundamentals
• Hands-on comfort with RF test equipment - spectrum analyzers, vector network analyzers, signal generators, and over-the-air test
• Experience troubleshooting RF problems on real hardware, including interference and EMI issues
• U.S. Person status required (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)); this role involves access to ITAR- and EAR-controlled technical data

Preferred Qualifications

• Datalink experience on UAV, robotics, or other mobile platforms
• Familiarity with mesh networking, frequency hopping, or spread spectrum waveforms
• Experience with software defined radio platforms and RF signal processing
• Exposure to contested or electromagnetically degraded environments, or to electronic warfare considerations
• Antenna design or simulation experience, including pattern measurement
• Familiarity with spectrum authorization processes for government or defense use

What We Look For

We are looking for an engineer who trusts measurement over specification sheets. RF work punishes assumptions, and the people who do it well are the ones who go find the null, chase the unexplained 6 dB, and are willing to say a link is not ready. You should be comfortable moving between simulation, bench, and field, and equally comfortable explaining RF constraints to engineers who do not think in decibels.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Powerus is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and mission-driven workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.