RF Test Engineering Manager (Hybrid: Frederick MD)

Leonardo DRS; Frederick (MD); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Leonardo DRS Signal Solutions in Frederick, MD, a hybrid role with a 4/10 schedule and Fridays off, seeks a hands-on RF engineering leader to guide design, integration, and production tests of RF receivers and tuners. You will mentor a high-performing team, enhance lab capabilities, and drive scalable test solutions from development through production.

You will collaborate with RF Design, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, and PM, solving complex RF issues, improving measurement practices, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field.
• Hands-on testing, integration, and troubleshooting RF receivers, tuners, or related RF systems.
• Active DOD security clearance or ability to obtain one.
• Experience leading technical teams.
• Strong RF measurement techniques and equipment.
• Experience with automated RF test systems and Python or scripting languages.
• Ability to move from system-level symptoms to disciplined investigation and resolution.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical direction on difficult receiver, tuner, and system-level integration issues across hardware, firmware, software, and test environments.
• Guide root-cause analysis on RF performance specifications.
• Collaborate with RF Design, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, and Program Management to resolve issues and make sound technical tradeoffs.
• Develop and mentor a team of RF engineers; set priorities and provide hands-on guidance.
• Oversee lab capacity, calibration, ESD, safety, and practices for reliable, repeatable results.
• Develop automated RF test methods and improve test data correlation across development to production.

Skills

RF leadership

RF measurement

Python scripting

DOD clearance

Team mentorship

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical field

Tools

LabVIEW

Job description

Hybrid: Frederick, MD. (4/10 schedule - Fridays off)

The Opportunity

Leonardo DRS Signal Solutions is seeking a hands-on technical leader to guide RF engineering covering both designs and production needs. This role is for someone who enjoys getting close to the hardware: investigating receiver behavior, and working with design and test teams to find the root cause.

You will lead high performing RF teams who design and test RF receivers, tuners, and related systems. Your immediate impact will be helping the team lead integration and measurement challenges. You will also strengthen the test methods, automation, and lab capabilities needed to support products from development through production.

What You'll Do

Lead complex RF troubleshooting

• Provide technical direction on difficult receiver, tuner, and system-level integration issues across hardware, firmware, software, and test environments.
• Help the team isolate whether unexpected results arise from product design, configuration, test methods, equipment, or the integration of those elements.
• Guide measurement and root-cause analysis on all related RF performance specifications.
• Work closely with RF Design, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, and Program Management to resolve issues and make sound technical tradeoffs.

Lead the team and engineering labs

• Develop and support a team of RF engineers; set priorities and provide hands-on technical mentorship.
• Oversee lab capacity, equipment, calibration, ESD, safety, and the practices needed to produce reliable, repeatable results.
• Build a culture of rigorous measurement, clear documentation, collaboration, and ownership of problems through resolution.

Build test solutions that scale

• Develop and improve automated RF test methods for development, integration, qualification, and production.
• Strengthen correlation among engineering analysis, lab measurements, and production test results.
• Work with design teams to address testability early and support the transition of test solutions into manufacturing through documentation, training, and sustaining support.
• Identify opportunities to improve test time, repeatability, yield, and diagnostic capability through practical automation and better use of test data.
• Contribute test approaches, estimates, and execution plans to proposals and customer requests.

What You Bring

• A bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• Significant hands-on experience testing, integrating, and troubleshooting RF receivers, tuners, or closely related RF systems.
• Must have an active DOD Security Clearance or the ability to obtain one.
• Experience leading technical teams and providing direct guidance on challenging engineering problems.
• Strong command of RF measurement techniques and equipment
• Experience developing or improving automated RF test systems, including proficiency with Python or a comparable scripting language.
• The ability to move from a system-level symptom to a disciplined investigation, communicate findings clearly, and drive issues to resolution.

Additional Experience We Value

• RF production test and manufacturing transition.
• Software-defined radios or complex communications systems.
• LabVIEW or another test development environment.
• Test data management and analysis.
• High-speed data acquisition or networked test systems.
• Standardizing test methods across products or sites.

Why This Role Matters

Our products demand both deep RF expertise and dependable test execution. In this role, you will help drive the team to focus on performance, develop the people who tackle complex problems, and build test capabilities that remain effective as products move from the lab into production.