Senior Electrical Engineer - RF & Communications Systems

Star Catcher; Jacksonville (FL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Other benefits

Job summary

Star Catcher is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer - RF & Communications Systems in Jacksonville, FL to drive RF subsystem architecture for space-to-space power beaming. You will lead design, simulation, verification, and cross-functional collaboration to enable the Star Catcher Network.

Ideal candidates have 10+ years in RF/communications, spaceflight heritage preferred, and a track record of delivering robust high-frequency systems for demanding environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years in RF or communications systems design, including link budget analysis.
• Experience leading RF subsystem architecture; spaceflight heritage preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead RF and communications subsystem architecture and co-own system interfaces.
• Design, simulate, and implement RF circuits and subsystems for space links.
• Develop RF architectures meeting harsh space environment requirements.
• Lead RF component selection, schematic design, and PCB layout reviews.
• Perform hardware bring-up, tuning, and RF characterization with lab tools.
• Conduct link budget analyses and trade studies for spacecraft comms.
• Collaborate with systems engineering, DSP/FPGA, firmware, and production.
• Troubleshoot RF issues and propose design improvements for reliability.
• Create requirements, design reports, test procedures, and verification artifacts.
• Mentor early-career RF engineers and contribute to capability growth.

Skills

RF design

Communications systems

Link budget analysis

PCB layout review

Radiation-tolerant design

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

ADS

AWR Microwave Office

HFSS

Altium Designer

Cadence Allegro

Job description

Power the future of Space at Star Catcher

Star Catcher is building the first energy grid in space to power the orbital economy.

Today’s spacecraft must generate all of their own power, which caps what they can do and how long they can operate. But what if they could "plug" into a grid, the way buildings do on Earth? Instead of cables and outlets, Star Catcher is building the technology to wirelessly beam energy to spacecraft’s existing solar panels when and where they need it.

Be an early member of a team building an entirely new energy infrastructure at scale to power the next frontier.

Star Catcher Industries, Inc., located in Jacksonville, Florida, has an opportunity for a Senior Electrical Engineer - RF & Communications Systems to support the development of space-to-space power beaming spacecraft and the Star Catcher Network, its orbital power grid. This role will be responsible for leading RF and communications subsystem architecture and co-own system communications interfaces.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead RF and communications subsystem architecture and co-own system communications interfaces, including designing, simulating, and implementing RF circuits and subsystems such as LNAs, PAs, filters, mixers, synthesizers, and transceiver modules for space-to-ground communication links.
• Develop and refine system-level RF architectures that meet demanding environmental, performance, and reliability requirements for space applications.
• Lead RF component selection, schematic design, and PCB layout review with a focus on radiation tolerance, thermal performance, and high-frequency signal integrity.
• Perform hardware bring-up, tuning, and RF characterization using lab equipment (VNA, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters) to support first-article deployment.
• Lead link budget analysis and trade studies for spacecraft communications architectures (e.g., TT&C, ranging, and crosslink concepts).
• Support environmental, thermal, and radiation-effects considerations as part of design verification for space systems.
• Work closely with systems engineering, digital/FPGA hardware, firmware, and manufacturing teams to ensure seamless integration and efficient production.
• Troubleshoot complex RF issues, execute root-cause analysis, and propose design improvements to enhance reliability and mission readiness.
• Create technical documentation including requirements, design reports, test procedures, and verification artifacts.
• Mentor early-career RF engineers and support the department's growth in communications systems engineering capability.

Basic Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: 10+ years of professional experience in RF or communications systems design, including link budget analysis, RF front-end design, or transceiver/antenna systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading or co-owning RF subsystem architecture from concept through qualification in a demanding environment; spaceflight heritage is preferred.

Technical Expertise

• Strong understanding of RF fundamentals including impedance matching, linearity, gain, noise figure, phase noise, and EMI/EMC.
• Proficiency with RF simulation tools such as ADS, AWR Microwave Office, HFSS, or equivalent.
• Experience with PCB design tools (Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, or similar).
• Familiarity with spacecraft communications standards and practices (e.g., CCSDS, TT&C architectures).

Desired Skills

• Experience with software-defined radio (SDR) platforms.
• Experience interfacing with bus or payload accommodation vendors on communications requirements.
• Familiarity with environmental and qualification standards (MIL-STD, NASA GEVS, or similar).
• Experience supporting spectrum licensing and coordination activities, including providing RF technical inputs for FCC licensing and ITU coordination through the responsible regulatory team.
• Experience mentoring engineers or leading technical design reviews.

Help us deploy and scale space infrastructure that will drive our utilization of space forward! We offer a highly competitive benefits package including access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, and paid parental leave, in addition to other benefits.

Star Catcher is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Star Catcher is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

All offers of employment at Star Catcher are contingent upon results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.

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.