Senior Antenna Design Engineer - Satellite User Terminals

E-Space Inc.; Arlington (TX); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Competitive salaries

Job summary

E‑Space Inc. is building a high‑impact LEO space‑based IoT system and seeks an experienced antenna engineer to lead design from concept through production. You will craft compact, multiband antennas for satellite terminals, translate system requirements into RF specifications, and validate through measurements and simulations.

The role demands hands‑on EM tools, VNAs, and close collaboration with RF front‑end, modem, and mechanical teams to ensure reliable performance in space‑edge environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, electromagnetics, applied physics, or a related field.
• Typically 7+ years of hands‑on antenna design and development experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing compact or electrically small antennas for size‑constrained products.
• Hands‑on experience with full‑wave EM simulation tools, such as HFSS, CST, or FEKO.
• Experience taking an antenna design from simulation through prototype fabrication and measured validation.
• Experience operating VNAs and performing antenna‑pattern, gain, efficiency, polarization, and return‑loss measurements.
• Strong technical communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Strong knowledge of satellite communication systems and deriving detailed technical requirements from system direction.

Responsibilities

• Own antenna designs from requirements and concept development through simulation, prototyping, validation, and production release.
• Develop compact, multi‑band antennas for satellite communication terminals.
• Translate link‑budget and system requirements into antenna specifications, including frequency coverage, realized gain, efficiency, polarization, and bandwidth.
• Perform antenna trade studies involving size, bandwidth, efficiency, gain, polarization, and installation constraints.
• Design antenna radiators, feeds, matching networks, baluns, hybrids, and other passive RF structures.
• Develop circularly polarized or linearly polarized antenna solutions based on system requirements.
• Conduct full‑wave electromagnetic simulations using HFSS, CST Studio Suite, FEKO, or equivalent tools.
• Integrate antennas with the terminal enclosure, PCB, ground structure, and other components.
• Evaluate detuning, coupling, and enclosure effects; plan antenna measurements and correlate simulations with tests.

Skills

Antenna design

Full-wave EM simulation

VNA measurements

System integration

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering

Tools

HFSS

CST Studio Suite

FEKO

Job description

Ready to make connectivity from space universally accessible, secure and actionable? Then you’ve come to the right place!

E-Space is bridging Earth and space to enable hyper-scaled deployments of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and services. We are building a highly-advanced low Earth orbit (LEO) space system that will fundamentally change the design, economics, manufacturing and service deliveryassociated with traditional satellite and terrestrial IoT systems.

We’re intentional, we’re unapologetically curious and we’re 100% committed to innovate space-based communications and deliver actionable intelligence that will expand global economies, protect space and our planet and enhance our overall quality of life.

What you will do:

• Own user-terminal antenna designs from requirements and concept development through simulation, prototyping, validation, and production release.
• Develop compact, low-profile, embedded, multiband, dual-band, or wideband antennas for satellite communication terminals.
• Translate link-budget and system requirements into antenna specifications, including frequency coverage, realized gain, efficiency, polarization, axial ratio, radiation pattern, return loss, bandwidth, and coverage.
• Perform antenna trade studies involving size, bandwidth, efficiency, gain, polarization, ground-plane dependence, terminal orientation, and installation constraints.
• Design antenna radiators, feeds, matching networks, baluns, hybrids, polarization networks, and other passive RF structures.
• Develop circularly polarized or linearly polarized antenna solutions based on system requirements.
• Conduct full-wave electromagnetic simulations using Ansys HFSS, CST Studio Suite, Altair FEKO, or equivalent tools.
• Integrate antennas with the terminal enclosure, PCB, ground structure, radome, cables, batteries, displays, processors, and other nearby electronics.
• Evaluate detuning, blockage, user interaction, cable coupling, enclosure effects, manufacturing tolerances, and material-property variation.
• Plan and perform antenna measurements using VNAs, anechoic chambers, near-field or far-field ranges, and over-the-air test systems.
• Correlate simulation with measured performance and resolve discrepancies through structured, data-driven troubleshooting.
• Support antenna tuning, design-for-manufacturing reviews, tolerance analysis, supplier interaction, and production validation.
• Develop environmental verification plans addressing temperature, humidity, vibration, shock, outdoor exposure, and other applicable user-terminal conditions.
• Document requirements, analyses, design decisions, test procedures, results, and technical risks.
• Collaborate with RF front-end, modem, baseband, firmware, mechanical, thermal, test, manufacturing, regulatory, and systems teams.
• Mentor engineers and help establish repeatable antenna design and verification practices.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, electromagnetics, applied physics, or a related field.
• Typically 7 or more years of hands‑on antenna design and development experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing compact or electrically small antennas for size-constrained products.
• Strong understanding of antenna theory, impedance matching, radiation patterns, polarization, efficiency, bandwidth, and near‑field coupling.
• Hands‑on experience with at least one full‑wave electromagnetic simulation tool, such as HFSS, CST, or FEKO.
• Experience taking an antenna design from simulation through prototype fabrication and measured validation.
• Experience operating VNAs and performing antenna‑pattern, gain, efficiency, polarization, and return‑loss measurements.
• Ability to diagnose differences between predicted and measured antenna performance.
• Experience integrating antennas into mechanically and electrically complex products.
• Strong technical communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of satellite communication systems, with the ability to derive detailed technical requirements from high‑level objectives and system direction.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with satellite communication terminals, IoT terminals, portable radios, GNSS, cellular, Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, or other compact wireless products.
• Experience with circularly polarized, dual‑band, multiband, broadband, spiral, crossed‑dipole, patch, helix, monopole, or inverted‑F antennas.
• Understanding of satellite link budgets, polarization mismatch, multipath, terminal orientation, and coverage requirements.
• Experience with antenna matching and tuning in the presence of production tolerances and enclosure variation.
• Familiarity with outdoor-terminal regulatory, EMC, RF‑exposure, and environmental requirements.
• Experience transferring antenna designs into medium‑or high‑volume production.
• Phased‑array antenna/RFFE experience is beneficial.

Additional Requirements

This is a fast‑paced, high‑impact environment - flexibility to occasionally work extended hours or weekends during critical periods is expected.

$160,000 - $195,000 a year

Why E‑Space is right for you:

As a member of our team, you will play a crucial role in driving our success. Our team members have a strong sense of dedication and responsibility; this includes a strong commitment to our mission to create an entirely new suite of global capabilities to improve lives, business efficiencies and build a smarter planet. This means that there will be times when extra hours, including nights and weekends, may be needed to meet critical deadlines and mission goals. In return, we offer a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth and development and the chance to make a meaningful impact in a high-growth industry.

We want you to make the most of your journey at E‑Space. That’s why we support and invest in the physical, emotional and financial well‑being of our team members and their families. Some of what you can expect when working at E‑Space:

• An opportunity to really make a difference
• Sustainability at our core
• Fair and honest workplace
• Innovative thinking is encouraged
• Competitive salaries
• Continuous learning and development
• Health and wellness care options
• Financial solutions for the future
• Optional legal services (US only)
• Paid holidays
• Paid time off