RF & Hardware Electrical Engineer — Clearance Eligible

3dB Labs, Inc.; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

3dB Labs, Inc. is seeking a motivated Electrical Engineer in the United States to join our growing team.

The role focuses on hands-on RF-adjacent hardware design, covering the full hardware lifecycle from concept through fielded production, with exposure to government programs and deliverables. The ideal candidate has 3–6 years of relevant experience, proficiency in schematic capture and PCB layout tools, and familiarity with RF systems concepts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 3–6 years of professional electrical engineering experience in a defense, government, or adjacent industry context.
• Proficiency in schematic capture and PCB layout tools (e.g., Altium Designer, KiCad, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with RF systems concepts including signal chain design, link budgets, and RF component characteristics.
• Experience with lab test and measurement equipment including oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, power supplies, and multimeters.
• Understanding of hardware development lifecycle from requirements through verification and validation.
• Active Secret clearance or the ability to obtain one; TS/SCI preferred.
• Familiarity with software defined radio (SDR) platforms and RF front-end hardware.
• Experience writing or contributing to government-format deliverable documentation.
• Knowledge of MIL-STD standards relevant to environmental, EMC, or power quality (e.g., MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-810).
• Exposure to embedded systems hardware and hardware/software integration.
• Experience working in Agile or hybrid development environments.
• Strong analytical and communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate technical trade-offs to both engineers and program stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and test analog and digital electronic circuits and subsystems, with an emphasis on RF-adjacent hardware including power distribution, signal conditioning, and hardware interfaces.
• Support and contribute to formal program milestones including System Requirements.
• Reviews (SRR), Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR), Critical Design Reviews (CDR), and Test Readiness Reviews (TRR).
• Develop and maintain hardware documentation including schematics, bills of materials (BOMs), interface control documents (ICDs), and design description documents in support of program deliverables.
• Collaborate with RF Systems Engineers on component selection, board-level integration, and lab bring-up of RF hardware and subsystems.
• Plan and execute electrical testing and verification activities, including functional testing, environmental testing coordination, and performance characterization.
• Support prototype development and transition of designs from breadboard/proof-of-concept through engineering development model (EDM) and into production.
• Work with cross-functional teams to ensure electrical designs meet system-level requirements, interface compatibility, and applicable standards.
• Identify and resolve hardware anomalies through root cause analysis and corrective action, both in the lab and in field environments.
• Assist in responding to customer technical inquiries and support proposal efforts with hardware design inputs and estimates.

Skills

RF hardware design

Schematic capture

PCB layout

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium Designer

KiCad

Job description

3dB Labs, Inc. is seeking a motivated Electrical Engineer in the United States to join our growing team.

The role focuses on hands-on RF-adjacent hardware design, covering the full hardware lifecycle from concept through fielded production, with exposure to government programs and deliverables. The ideal candidate has 3–6 years of relevant experience, proficiency in schematic capture and PCB layout tools, and familiarity with RF systems concepts.