Senior Antenna Engineer - Spaceborne Radar Systems
Kapta Space
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Job summary
Kapta Space, a Seattle-based radar innovator, seeks a Principal Antenna Engineer to lead high-frequency antenna design for spaceborne radar systems. You will translate radar performance into antenna requirements, design phased arrays, and develop tools for RF performance analysis, collaborating across RF, FPGA, and software teams.
You will drive hardware development with vendors, build prototypes, and validate with near-/far-field measurements, aiming for flight-ready, high-performance antenna
Qualifications
- BS, MS, or PhD in electrical engineering, electromagnetics, physics, or related field.
- Onsite role in Redmond, WA.
- 10+ years of RF/antenna development, including phased arrays for radar or communications.
- Strong array theory: impedance matching, coupling, polarization, scan behavior, beamforming.
- Experience with high-density PCB-based antenna design and fabrication.
- Experience with phased-array design principles and digital beamforming (DBF).
- Proficiency with HFSS/CST/FEKO and Python/MATLAB for analysis, test automation, and model correlation.
- Hands-on VNA, spectrum analyzer, signal generator, and near-/far-field antenna measurement experience.
- High-frequency/mmW PCB antennas, feeds, waveguide/passives, prototyping, and cross-functional ownership.
Responsibilities
- Translate radar performance into antenna requirements, architecture and design trades.
- Design high-performance antenna systems and microwave circuits for c-SWaP-constrained systems.
- Develop tools for antenna and RF performance analysis within the radar system.
- Drive antenna hardware development with vendors to meet performance, cost, schedule.
- Test hardware and incorporate data into system-level performance analysis.
- Optimize and calibrate arrays for gain, sidelobes, scan performance, bandwidth, polarization.
- Model array gain, scan loss, coupling, sidelobes, polarization, and spacecraft effects.
- Build and test antenna prototypes; support qualification and production readiness.
- Develop array calibration, beam-steering, and alignment methods with FPGA/DSP/software/RF teams.
- Support spacecraft integration and RF qualification across thermal/vibration environments.
- Drive technical problem solving, design reviews, and hardware maturation from prototypes to flight-ready products.
- Develop, implement, and validate antenna control algorithms for advanced modes.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
Kapta Space, a Seattle-based radar innovator, seeks a Principal Antenna Engineer to lead high-frequency antenna design for spaceborne radar systems. You will translate radar performance into antenna requirements, design phased arrays, and develop tools for RF performance analysis, collaborating across RF, FPGA, and software teams.
You will drive hardware development with vendors, build prototypes, and validate with near-/far-field measurements, aiming for flight-ready, high-performance antenna
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