Rf Engineer

Actalent; United States; Hybrid; USD 76,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Actalent seeks an experienced RF Design Engineer to own the full RF product development lifecycle, from initial requirements to production release. The role requires hands-on design and cross-functional collaboration with firmware, FPGA, PCB, and test teams in a demanding aerospace/defense setting.

The position is primarily onsite in Newtown, PA, with a strong emphasis on RF lab work and using Cadence AWR Microwave Office and PSpice for simulation and testing. Independent contributors are valued.

Qualifications

• Hands-on RF circuit design experience owning RF circuits or RF products.
• Experience with transmitter/receiver design and RF architectures.
• Proficient in RF lab testing with independent use of RF test equipment.
• Experience across the full product development lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Design RF and analog circuits for transmitter and receiver products, ensuring robust performance and reliability.
• Develop RF products from initial requirements through final product acceptance and production release, owning the complete development lifecycle.
• Create detailed product specifications, RF architectures, block diagrams, schematics, and test strategies that align with customer and system requirements.

Skills

RF design

TX/RX design

RF architecture

Simulation driven engineering

RF laboratory testing

Tools

Cadence AWR Microwave Office

PSpice

Job description

Job Title: RF Design Engineer

Job Description

This hands‑on RF Design Engineer role focuses on developing advanced RF products for aerospace, defense, and flight‑test telemetry applications. You will own the full RF product development lifecycle, from interpreting initial requirements and defining product specifications through architecture, circuit design, simulation, testing, troubleshooting, qualification, and production release. The position is intended for an experienced individual contributor at a Lead level, with flexibility to consider strong Senior or Principal-level engineers who can work independently while collaborating closely with firmware, FPGA, PCB, mechanical, manufacturing, and test teams.

Responsibilities

• Design RF and analog circuits for transmitter and receiver products, ensuring robust performance and reliability.


• Develop RF products from initial requirements through final product acceptance and production release, owning the complete development lifecycle.


• Create detailed product specifications, RF architectures, block diagrams, schematics, and test strategies that align with customer and system requirements.


• Design and analyze transmitter and receiver signal chains, optimizing for performance, linearity, noise, and efficiency.


• Simulate RF circuit performance using Cadence AWR Microwave Office and integrate simulation into all stages of the design process.


• Compare simulated RF design performance with measured hardware performance and refine designs to close gaps between prediction and reality.


• Use PSpice or comparable tools to perform analog circuit and DC power‑supply analysis and verification.


• Design and optimize RF circuits such as amplifiers, including both small‑signal and large‑signal RF parameter considerations.


• Generate the RF portions of PCB/PWB layouts within Microwave Office and ensure layout quality for high‑frequency performance.


• Guide PCB/PWB layout personnel through completion of the overall board layout, providing clear direction on RF layout best practices.


• Develop comprehensive test methods, test procedures, and product‑acceptance criteria to validate RF designs and ensure consistent production quality.


• Use RF laboratory equipment to validate, troubleshoot, debug, and optimize designs, working independently in a lab environment.


• Support formal product‑development reviews, including System Requirements Review (SRR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), and Critical Design Review (CDR).


• Participate in de‑rating, reliability assessments, root‑cause investigations, and corrective‑action activities to improve product robustness.


• Coordinate effectively with cross‑functional engineering and production teams to ensure smooth transition from design to manufacturing and test.


• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to other engineers, offering guidance and expertise without direct people‑management responsibilities.

Essential Skills

• Proven hands‑on RF circuit design experience, with direct ownership of RF circuits or RF products rather than solely test, systems, or integration work.


• Strong transmitter and/or receiver design experience, with emphasis on RF architecture and circuit design rather than specific frequency bands.


• Direct experience using Cadence AWR Microwave Office as a primary RF design and simulation platform, or highly transferable RF simulation expertise.


• Demonstrated ability to use simulation‑driven engineering, integrating RF simulation throughout the design process and correlating predicted performance with measured results.


• Solid RF laboratory experience, including independent use of RF test equipment to troubleshoot and debug hardware.


• Experience owning the product‑development lifecycle from requirements definition through production release, not limited to a single development stage.


• Ability to work primarily onsite due to the hands‑on design, laboratory, and collaborative nature of the role.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience designing RF transmitter or receiver products in aerospace, defense, wireless communications, cellular, base‑station, or similar RF environments.


• Familiarity with PSpice or comparable tools for analog circuit and DC power‑supply analysis.


• Experience participating in formal engineering reviews such as SRR, PDR, and CDR.


• Background in reliability, de‑rating analysis, root‑cause investigation, and corrective‑action implementation.


• Ability to provide technical leadership and mentorship to peers and junior engineers as an experienced individual contributor.

Work Environment

This position is primarily onsite in Newtown, PA to support hands‑on RF design, laboratory work, and close collaboration with cross‑functional engineering and production teams. You will work in an RF lab environment using industry‑standard RF test equipment and design tools such as Cadence AWR Microwave Office and PSpice or similar platforms. The role involves regular interaction with firmware, FPGA, PCB, mechanical, manufacturing, and test personnel in a team‑oriented setting focused on developing high‑performance RF products for demanding aerospace and defense applications.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Newtown, PA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $55.00 - $72.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job‑related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your jobclassification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may besubject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefitsavailable for this temporary role may include the following:Medical, dental & visionCritical Illness, Accident, and Hospital401(k) Retirement Plan Pre‑tax and Roth post‑tax contributions availableLife Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)Short and long‑term disabilityHealth Spending Account (HSA)Transportation benefitsEmployee Assistance ProgramTime Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Newtown,PA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 22, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News‑Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in thecity and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicantswith arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as acondition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this lawshall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applicationsand qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, youacknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.