RF Hardware Engineer — Defense Systems & Verification

3dB Labs, Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

3dB Labs, Inc. seeks an experienced Electrical Engineer to contribute to RF-adjacent hardware across the full development lifecycle. You will design, test, and verify analog and digital circuits while preparing documentation for formal reviews.

The role emphasizes collaboration with RF systems engineers and program managers, performing lab bring‑up, and ensuring designs meet system requirements and applicable standards. US citizenship and ability to be cleared are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 3–6 years of professional electrical engineering experience in defense/government or adjacent industry.
• Proficiency in schematic capture and PCB layout tools (Altium Designer, KiCad, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with RF systems concepts including signal chain design, link budgets, and RF component characteristics.

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 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

Schematic capture

RF concepts

Hardware lifecycle

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related

Tools

Altium Designer

KiCad

Oscilloscopes

Spectrum analyzers

Job description

3dB Labs, Inc. seeks an experienced Electrical Engineer to contribute to RF-adjacent hardware across the full development lifecycle. You will design, test, and verify analog and digital circuits while preparing documentation for formal reviews.

The role emphasizes collaboration with RF systems engineers and program managers, performing lab bring‑up, and ensuring designs meet system requirements and applicable standards. US citizenship and ability to be cleared are required.