RF Test Engineer

ALGEBRAIT; El Cajon (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Job summary

ALGEBRAIT is seeking an experienced RF OTA Test Engineer for onsite work in Fremont, CA. The role covers test execution, chamber calibration, radiated measurements, and regulatory submissions across 5G NR, LTE, and Wi‑Fi standards.

The candidate will configure multi-axis OTA chambers, analyze test data, and communicate effectively with project teams to ensure regulatory compliance and high-quality measurements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 2–5+ years hands-on RF OTA testing experience in a lab.

Responsibilities

• Test Execution & System Validation across FR1/FR2 OTA testing.
• Configure, calibrate, and operate OTA test chambers.
• Perform radiated measurements: TRP, TIS, EIRP, EIS, MIMO OTA.
• Validate A-GNSS OTA sensitivity.
• Investigate Desense and isolate internal noise sources.
• Maintain chamber verification logs and calibrations.
• Ensure CTIA/3GPP compliance and package data for regulatory submissions.

Skills

RF testing

Anechoic chamber

5G NR

Network analyzers

Python

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering

Master’s Degree preferred

Tools

Keysight UXM 5G

R&S CMX500 / CMW500

Anritsu MT8000A

EMQuest / AMS32

Job description

Benefits:

Competitive salary

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Location: Fremont , California

Onsite/ Remote: Day 1 Onsite at customer location

Core Responsibilities

1. Test Execution & System Validation

Configure, calibrate, and operate multi-axis OTA anechoic test chambers (e.g., ETS-Lindgren AMS systems) across FR1 (Sub-6 GHz) and FR2 (mmWave) frequency ranges.

Perform comprehensive radiated measurements including TRP, TIS, EIRP, EIS, and MIMO OTA throughput testing.

Validate satellite positioning performance by executing A-GNSS (GPS/Glonass/Galileo) OTA sensitivity evaluations.

Conduct systematic RF Desensitization (Desense) investigations to isolate internal platform noise (e.g., from display panels, high-speed digital buses, or power supplies) degrading receiver performance.

Maintain chamber verification logs, performing routine range calibrations (path loss measurements using standard gain horn antennas) to ensure measurement repeatability and system accuracy.

1. Test Plan Compliance & Certification

Execute testing matrices in strict accordance with CTIA Test Plan for Wireless Device Over-the-Air Performance, 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS 38.521 / 38.151), and specific North American wireless operator requirements.

Analyze test data against strict regulatory and carrier acceptance limits, identifying and logging edge-case failures.

Interface directly with the Telecommunications Certification Body (TCB) team and project managers to package validation data for formal regulatory submissions (FCC, CE, ISED).

Technical Requirements & Qualifications

Education & Experience

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, or a highly related technical discipline (Master’s Degree with an RF/Electromagnetics focus preferred).

2 to 5+ years of direct, hands‑on experience in an RF laboratory environment specifically executing OTA testing.

Technical Skills & Instrumentation Knowledge

Chamber Architectures: Deep familiarity with conical‑cut and great‑circle‑cut anechoic chamber testing geometries.

Wireless Protocols: Solid baseline knowledge of 5G NR (SA/NSA), LTE Advanced, Wi‑Fi 7 / 6E (802.11be/ax), Bluetooth, and UWB physical layer parameters.

RF Test Equipment: Hands‑on operational mastery of network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and radio communication testers (e.g., Keysight UXM 5G, Rohde & Schwarz CMX500 / CMW500, Anritsu MT8000A).

Software & Automation: Experience utilizing automated lab software suites (e.g., ETS-Lindgren EMQuest, R&S AMS32). Proficiency in Python for parsing .csv data files and interfacing with instrument APIs is highly preferred.

Foundational Knowledge: Solid grasp of Smith charts, impedance matching, polarization alignment, Friis transmission equations, and measurement uncertainty calculations.

Soft Skills & Workplace Competencies

Analytical Problem Solving: A methodical approach to isolating variables when troubleshooting system anomalies or uncharacteristic device failures inside the chamber.

Meticulous Documentation: Strong attention to detail when logging hardware configurations, test settings, and EUT (Equipment Under Test) software build versions.

Communication: Ability to clearly explain complex radiated failures and spatial pattern nulls to non‑RF internal partners.