Satellite RF Engineer - End-to-End Flight Hardware

Astro Digital; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Astro Digital is seeking an experienced RF Engineer to design and analyze RF subsystems for next-generation satellite platforms. You will own end-to-end RF board development—from schematic to layout and testing—while collaborating with mechanical, systems, and mission teams to deliver reliable flight hardware.

The role requires hands-on development, simulations, prototyping, and testing across the RF chain, with emphasis on space-grade performance and high reliability.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 5 years minimum of experience in RF design, layout, and test.
• Strong background in RF receive/transmit chain design and cascade analysis.
• Hands-on experience with Altium Designer for RF layout.
• Proficiency with RF design and simulation tools (MATLAB RF and Antenna Toolbox and HFSS).
• Hands-on experience with lab equipment such as VNAs, spectrum analyzers, and power meters.

Responsibilities

• Design and test RF boards from start to finish.
• Develop RF receive and transmit chains, including LNAs, filters, mixers, PAs, and frequency conversion stages.
• Perform cascade analysis for noise figure, gain, linearity, and dynamic range across RF chains.
• Contribute to link budgets and verify compliance with system requirements.
• Support antenna design, selection, and integration, ensuring proper impedance matching and radiation performance.
• Document designs, analyses, and test results for internal teams and external stakeholders.

Skills

RF design

RF layout

RF test

Altium Designer

Schematic capture

Cascade analysis

Antenna integration

Link budgets

Lab testing

VNA testing

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium Designer

MATLAB RF

HFSS

Job description

Astro Digital is seeking an experienced RF Engineer to design and analyze RF subsystems for next-generation satellite platforms. You will own end-to-end RF board development—from schematic to layout and testing—while collaborating with mechanical, systems, and mission teams to deliver reliable flight hardware.

The role requires hands-on development, simulations, prototyping, and testing across the RF chain, with emphasis on space-grade performance and high reliability.