RF Electrical Engineer

Xona; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona is a navigational intelligence company aiming to deliver real-time, centimeter-level precision to spacecraft and devices worldwide. The RF Electrical Engineer will own the S-Band TT&C subsystem from schematic to flight-ready hardware, working alongside hardware, software, mechanical, and systems engineers to ensure robust, reliable communications in harsh space environments.

You will lead end-to-end design, link budgets, EMI/EMC compliance, and rigorous testing across lab and flight

Qualifications

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering or related field required; M.S. a plus.
• Hands-on RF/electrical engineering with PCB design and RF layout.
• Experience with EMI/EMC standards (MIL-STD-461) and spaceflight requirements.

Responsibilities

• End-to-end design of the satellite's S-Band radio - schematic capture, PCB layout, and component selection, in close coordination with antenna design engineers
• Spacecraft radio link budgets across all mission phases
• EMI/EMC compliance and spaceflight reliability across the design
• Electrical and RF test/validation at unit, subsystem, and system level
• Hardware bring-up, debugging, and performance tuning in lab and flight environments

Skills

RF design

PCB layout

S-Band knowledge

EMI/EMC knowledge

Lab testing

Serial interfaces (UART_SPI_I2C_ETHERN

RF test equipment

Documentation

Education

B.S. in Electrical Engineering (M.S. a plus)

Tools

HFSS

ADS

MATLAB

Job description

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

With Pulsar - the world's most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit - Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

Overview

We're looking for an RF Electrical Engineer to take ownership of our spacecraft's TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking & Command) radios - the S-Band link that keeps our satellites talking to the ground.

You'll own this subsystem end to end: architecture, link budgets, PCB design, and the antenna interface, built to survive the harshest environment there is. This is a hands-on, cross-disciplinary role working directly with electrical, systems, mechanical, and software engineers to ship a critical piece of hardware that flies.

What You'll Own

• End-to-end design of the satellite's S-Band radio - schematic capture, PCB layout, and component selection, in close coordination with antenna design engineers
• Spacecraft radio link budgets across all mission phases
• EMI/EMC compliance and spaceflight reliability across the design
• Electrical and RF test/validation at unit, subsystem, and system level
• Hardware bring-up, debugging, and performance tuning in lab and flight environments

What You Bring

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering or related field (M.S. a plus)
• Hands-on experience with RF/electrical engineering, including PCB design with RF layout and routing
• Proficiency with RF/EM tools: HFSS, ADS, or MATLAB
• Working knowledge of EMI/EMC standards and practices (e.g., MIL-STD-461)
• Experience with digital interfaces relevant to radio integration (UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet)
• Hands-on lab experience: oscilloscopes, network analyzers, signal generators
• Strong documentation habits and cross-functional communication

Strongly Preferred

• Experience designing RF/electronics for space or spacecraft systems
• Exposure to radiation-tolerant component selection and thermal/vacuum design constraints

For U.S. Roles:

To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles:

To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles:

Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.