RF Test Engineer

Array Labs Inc.; Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Array Labs Inc. is seeking an RF Test Engineer to develop hardware and automated test infrastructure for radar payloads. This role involves designing test fixtures, executing functional testing, and ensuring flight readiness. You will work closely with a skilled engineering team focused on advancing satellite technology to understand our planet.

Applicants should have a BS in Electrical Engineering or related field and at least 2 years of relevant experience. Strong RF skills and familiarity with test equipment are essential.

Qualifications

• At least 2 years of related experience in RF testing.
• Familiarity with software defined radios.
• Experience operating in contamination- and ESD-sensitive environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop RF and high-speed measurement solutions.
• Characterize RF components and subsystems.
• Design RF test fixtures and calibration methods.

Skills

Proficiency with RF test equipment

Understanding of RF fundamentals

Programming skills in Python, C++, MATLAB

Strong technical documentation skills

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering, Physics or related STEM field

Tools

Vector network analyzers

Spectrum analyzers

Oscilloscopes

Job description

About the Job

As an RF Test Engineer, you will develop the hardware, procedures, and automated test infrastructure used to validate Array’s radar payloads and satellite electronics. Your work will include designing test fixtures and harnesses, creating FPGA- and software-driven test interfaces, developing board- and system-level test plans, and executing environmental and functional testing across a range of operating conditions. You will collaborate closely with electrical, RF, antenna, mechanical, and manufacturing engineers to diagnose issues, validate performance, and ensure flight readiness. The test systems you build will directly affect hardware reliability, calibration stability, and overall system performance on orbit.

As part of our quickly growing engineering team, you will play a critical role in the design of the world’s most advanced radar satellite constellation—one that will significantly improve humanity’s ability to rapidly and comprehensively understand our changing planet.

Responsibilities

• Develop RF and high-speed measurement solutions for in-house developed payload and avionics hardware which will fly to space
• Characterize RF components and subsystems, such as LNAs, PAs, mixers, synthesizers, filters, transceivers, and antenna array assemblies
• Design RF test fixtures, harnesses, and calibration/de-embedding methods that establish a trusted reference plane
• Bring up and debug new RF and high-speed subsystems and testbeds with responsible engineers
• Quantify measurement uncertainty and use it to set test limits
• Execute functional and environmental RF testing (thermal, vacuum/TVAC, vibration), analyze test data, and provide recommendations for improvements
• Validate that RF hardware meets its performance requirements, supporting acceptance and qualification campaigns and flight-readiness decisions
• Participate in design reviews and provide input on testability and measurability
• Maintain and calibrate RF test equipment and facilities

Basic Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Physics or related STEM field with at least 2 years of related experience
• Proficient working in the lab with RF test equipment, including vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers
• Strong grasp of RF fundamentals: S-parameters, impedance matching, gain, compression, noise figure, phase noise, intermodulation, and link budgets
• Working knowledge of calibration, de-embedding, fixture removal, and the sources of measurement error and how to mitigate them
• Proficiency with programming and automation/scripting languages or ability to quickly learn them (i.e. Python, C++, MATLAB) for instrument control and data analysis, and navigating Linux terminals and file systems
• Familiarity with design tools for schematic capture and reading RF/analog schematics
• Strong technical documentation skills, including report writing and test result documentation and storage
• Familiarity with software defined radios

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience analyzing circuits and developing functional test plans
• Board rework experience, specifically surface-mount soldering & hot-air rework
• Experience operating in a contamination- and ESD-sensitive environments
• Embedded software expertise, bare-metal (no-OS), RTOS-based, and Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) libraries for ARM-based microcontrollers or SoCs
• Experience with system verification and validation, experience in root-cause test failures to ensure issues are understood and develop and implement mitigations as part of a process of continuous improvement
• Bring-up and test of RF, power, and electronics subassemblies
• Basic knowledge of RF system architecture and impairments or hands‑on experience working with RF circuits and RF test equipment
• Experience in space systems and environmental testing such as vibration, shock, thermal, burn-in, and TVAC
• Understanding of sources of measurement error and how to implement appropriate mitigation strategies

ITAR Requirements

• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Equal Opportunity Employer

• Array Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made on the basis of merit, competence, and job qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by gender, color, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender identity, veteran status, disability status, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

$150,000 - $250,000 a year