Senior Manager, Spectrum Licensing

LeoLabs, Inc.; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 183,000 - 223,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellness benefit

Home office stipend

Internet allowance

Development fund

Employee recognition program

Job summary

LeoLabs is expanding its global RF permitting leadership to own strategy and execution across markets. You will coordinate spectrum licensing, equipment certification, and type approval while working with Legal, RF Engineering, Site Selection, and in-country partners.

The role requires travel and strong regulatory acumen on a West Coast–based team. Based in the United States with domestic and international travel, you will drive multi-country regulatory programs, maintain licenses, and build a

Qualifications

• Located on the U.S. West Coast (Pacific or Mountain time zones).
• 10+ years of experience in spectrum management, RF regulatory operations, RF compliance, telecommunications licensing, or a closely related field.
• Experience obtaining spectrum licenses with direct engagement with regulators.
• Strong knowledge of RF fundamentals: emissions, antenna characteristics, propagation, interference, and spectrum compatibility.
• Ability to navigate complex regulatory environments with defined or evolving pathways.
• Strong project/program management, schedule, risk, and stakeholder management across multiple workstreams.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally; eligible to obtain and maintain U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own LeoLabs' global RF permitting program and regulatory approvals for new and existing radar locations.
• Collaborate with Legal on interpretation of law, regulatory risk, license conditions, and commitments.
• Develop jurisdiction-specific RF licensing strategies and inform site selection and investment decisions.
• Engage with spectrum regulators early to validate pathways and reduce late-stage surprises.
• Assist in preparing spectrum license applications from feasibility to approval with supporting studies.
• Maintain radar-site RF licenses, track conditions, renewals, and compliance.
• Coordinate with RF engineers to obtain antenna characteristics, emission data, and technical evidence.
• Manage equipment certification and type approval workstreams across jurisdictions.
• Integrate RF regulatory considerations into site selection and deployment sequencing.
• Coordinate site interference analyses with RF Engineering as needed.
• Project manage regulatory approvals across countries and deployments.
• Select and manage local RF regulatory consultants while retaining internal ownership.
• Build and maintain a global network of regulators, labs, and advisory contacts.
• Establish scalable processes, country playbooks, and a central knowledge base for RF permitting.
• Prepare leadership updates on feasibility, schedule, risk, and mitigation for approvals.

Skills

Project management

Regulatory navigation

Stakeholder management

Written and verbal communication

Travel willingness

Education

Degree in electrical or RF engineering

Tools

PMP

PgMP

Job description

At LeoLabs, we're building the living map of activity in space. Through our proprietary global radar network and AI-enabled analytics platform, we collect millions of measurements daily on more than 25,000 objects in low Earth orbit (LEO). Our radar-powered intelligence protects billions in assets, monitors adversarial behavior, and ensures safe operations for commercial and government missions.

We're not just building technology, we are redefining global security, safety, and transparency in space. As orbital activity accelerates and threats grow more complex, LeoLabs is a trusted partner for Space Domain Awareness, Space Traffic Management, and Satellite Operations for top-tier space operators and allied defense organizations.

If you're looking to work on mission-critical challenges at the forefront of aerospace, national security, and AI, your impact starts here.

The Opportunity

LeoLabs is expanding its global network of ground-based radars, and securing the RadioFrequencyregulatory approvals required to deploy and operate those systems is critical to that growth. In this role, you will lead LeoLabs' global RF permitting function, owning the operational strategy and execution for spectrum licensing, experimental and permanent operating authorities, equipment certification, and type approval across new and existing markets.

This is a senior RF operations and program leadership role operating at the intersection of RF engineering, government engagement, site selection, and deployment. Some jurisdictions offer clear licensing pathways; others require extensive consultation, local representation, technical studies, and persistence to establish a workable path. You will be accountable for understanding those differences early, translating them into practical plans, and driving approvals to completion.

You will work closely with the Company's Site Selection and Acquisition team, the Hardware Engineering team, and the Legal Department, as well as testing laboratories, in-country consultants, and other external specialists. This role is based in the United States, with the West Coast strongly preferred, requires regular domestic and international travel, and reports to the Senior Director of Global Infrastructure.

Responsibilities:

• OwningLeoLabs' global RF permitting program and operationalstrategy for new and existing radar locations, including spectrum licensing,equipment certificationrequirements in different globaljurisdictions, type approvalrequirements, and related RF regulatory approvals.
• Collaborating closely with Legal on matters involving interpretation of applicable law, novel or ambiguous legal or regulatory requirements, material legal or regulatory risk, material license conditions or commitments, and regulatory positions that may create legal obligations or significant risk for LeoLabs.
• Investigating and documenting regulatory requirements and approval pathways for proposed deployments in new countries and jurisdictions, including responsible regulators, application categories, technical evidence, local applicant or representative requirements, testing, fees, lead times, and renewal obligations.
• Developing jurisdiction-specific RF licensing strategies and identifying permitting and implementation risks, dependencies, decision points, and critical-path activities early enough to inform site selection, deployment sequencing, and investment decisions.
• Actively supporting early engagement with spectrum regulators and other government agencies to validate proposed pathways, clarify technical and procedural novel requirements, and reduce the risk of late-stagesurprisesbefore formal submissions are made.
• Actively assisting in the preparation of spectrum license applications from feasibility through approval, including preparation of application strategies, technical annexes, supporting studies, regulator responses, license conditions, modifications, and renewals.
• MaintainingLeoLabs’ existing radar-site RF licenses, including trackinglicenseconditions, managing renewals and modifications, and monitoring compliance with operational and technical license requirements.
• Working withLeoLabs'experiencedRF engineers and Hardware Engineering team to obtain antenna characteristics, emission parameters, radiation patterns, simulations, interference studies, test data,and other technical evidence required by regulators.
• Owning the coordination of equipment certification and type approval workstreams in jurisdictions where LeoLabs is considering deploying radars. This includesidentifyingapplicable standards, local testing or certification requirements, import-related approvals where applicable, and coordinating with accredited laboratories, certification bodies, and local representatives.
• Integrating RF regulatory considerations intonew radarsite selection byidentifyingpotential interference or spectrum compatibility concernsanddeterminingwhen detailed engineering analysis isrequired.
• Coordinatingnew site interference analyses and reviews with LeoLabs'RF Engineering team or external specialists when specialist engineering judgement isrequired.
• Project managing regulatory approvals across multiple countries and deployments, including schedules, budgets, risks, dependencies, consultant deliverables, internal technical inputs, regulator actions, and executive decision points.
• Selecting, briefing,and managinglocal RF regulatory consultants and technical advisers while retaining internal ownership of RF permitting execution, quality, schedule, and outcomes.Legal will manage legal counsel and advisers engaged to provide legal advice.
• Building and maintaining a global network of spectrum regulators, regulatory advisers, testing laboratories, certification specialists, and in-country contacts who can support LeoLabs' expansion into both straightforward and difficult regulatory environments.
• Establishing scalable processes, templates, checklists, consultant scopes of work, country playbooks, decision records, license trackers, renewal controls, and a central knowledge base for global RF permitting.
• Preparing concise leadership updates and recommendations on RF permitting feasibility, approval probability, schedule, operational and technical risk, mitigation options, and whether a proposed location or licensing strategy should advance, pause, or change.

RequiredQualifications

• Located on the U.S. West Coast (Pacific or Mountaintimezones)
• 10+ years of experience in spectrum management, RF regulatory operations, RF compliance, telecommunications licensing, or a closely related technical or regulatory field.
• Demonstrated experience obtaining spectrumlicensesor equivalent RF operating approvals, including direct engagement with government spectrum regulators.
• Strong working knowledge of RF fundamentals, including frequency allocations, bandwidth, emissions, antenna characteristics, propagation, interference, and spectrum compatibility.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex, ambiguous, or novel regulatory environments where the approval pathway is not fully defined at the outset.
• Strong project or program management capability, including schedule, risk, dependency, consultant, budget, and stakeholder management across multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Ability to understand and operationalize regulatory requirements and translate them into clear technical inputs, application requirements, consultant scopes, and internal actions, and to identify matters requiring escalation to Legal or other subject-matter experts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to turn incomplete or highly technical information into clear recommendations for senior leadership and external stakeholders.
• Strong judgement and stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to work effectively with regulators, engineers, government officials, consultants, and executives.
• Strong recordkeeping discipline and a high standard for documentation quality, version control, decision logs,licenserecords, and organized project files.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally and undertake field work at prospective radar sites.
• Based in the United States and eligible to obtainand maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with radar, radiolocation, satellite, aerospace, defense, telecommunications, or other high-power RF systems.
• Experience securing spectrum approvals across multiple countries or regions, including jurisdictions with complex government or regulatory processes.
• Experience with equipment certification, RF/EMC compliance testing, international type approval, or laboratory certification programs.
• Experience conducting RF spectrum surveys using spectrum analyzers, antennas, and associated test equipment and interpreting the resulting data.
• Experience performing or reviewing RF interference, compatibility, propagation, or coexistence analysis.
• Existing international network of spectrum regulators, regulatory consultants, testing laboratories, or certification specialists.
• Degree in electrical or RF engineering, telecommunications, physics, or another relevant technical discipline; equivalent practical experience is also valued.
• PMP, PgMP, or equivalent project/program management experience.

Within 3 months, you'll

• Establish the operating model, priorities, reporting cadence, and core standards for LeoLabs' global RF permitting function.
• Review active and planned radar deployments, currentlicenseworkstreams, consultant engagements, and country-specific regulatory risks, andidentifyimmediate gaps or critical-path actions.
• Build strong working relationships with Radar Engineering, Site Selection and Acquisition, Legal, and other key stakeholders.
• Have reviewed all existingLeoLabsradar-site RFlicenses, documented applicable conditions and renewal dates, andestablisheda reliable process for ongoing tracking and operational compliance,modificationsand renewals.

Within 6 months, you'll

• Be actively managing the global RF regulatory portfolio with clear country strategies, schedules, risk visibility, decision points, and consultant accountability.
• Have implemented repeatable approaches for preliminary RF surveys, regulatory feasibility assessments, license applications, type approval, document control, and renewal tracking.
• Have expanded LeoLabs' network of trusted local regulatory consultants, laboratories, and government contacts in priority jurisdictions.

Within 12 months, you'll

• Have built a scalable global RF permitting capability that identifies regulatory risk early and supports faster, better-informed radar deployment decisions.
• Have improved the predictability, quality, and schedule control of spectrum licensing and equipment approval workstreams across multiple jurisdictions.
• Have established a durable country knowledge base, external adviser network, and internal operating model that reduces dependency on ad hoc regulatory discovery for each new deployment.

Compensation

The base salary range for this position is up to $203,000 USD + bonus + stock options + benefits

Compensation Note:

The salary range for this position is benchmarked based on the designated primary work location for the role. Final compensation may vary depending on the selected candidate's work location, applicable market data, experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors.

Perks and Benefits

• $100 USD monthly wellness benefit to support your health and well-being
• $300 USD home office setup stipend, available for use within your first six months
• $75 USD monthly home internet allowance, paid directly through your regular paycheck
• Individual Development Fund to support training, learning, and professional development
• Employee Recognition Program to celebrate contributions and achievements across the team

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. More information regarding ITAR can be found at DDTC’s website.

LeoLabs does not engage external staffing agencies or third-party recruiting firms for this role. Unsolicited candidate submissions will not be considered.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.