Senior RF Communications & Signal Processing & Engineer

Leidos LLC; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 108,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Income protection

Paid leave

Job summary

Leidos Defense Sector seeks an RF Communications & Signal Processing Engineer to join the JSIL Tech and Certification Center in Huntsville, AL. You will support development, integration, testing, and evaluation of advanced tactical data links and communications systems for U.S.

Army and DoD missions. The role spans RF theory, DSP, and signal processing with leadership responsibilities, field testing, and collaboration with government stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field with substantial RF/communications experience.
• Advanced degree is preferred and DoD/air/space domain exposure is a plus.
• Active security clearance or eligibility is required.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership in RF communications, DSP, and data link technologies.
• Develop test strategies, plans, and reports for lab, field, and flight tests.
• Plan and execute RF system testing, integration, data collection, and analysis.
• Analyze waveform performance, link quality, and system resilience under representative conditions.
• Perform advanced signal analysis to characterize performance and identify improvements.
• Interface with government stakeholders and industry partners for development and decisions.
• Present findings and recommendations to leadership and stakeholders.
• Mentor junior engineers and test personnel.

Skills

RF Communications

Digital signal processing

Test & evaluation

Team leadership

Technical reporting

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related

Job description

Company Overview

Looking for an opportunity to make an impact? At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainably. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business. Your greatest work is ahead!

Leidos' Defense Uncrewed Systems Integration and Test is seeking a motivated and ambitious RF Communications & Signal Processing Engineer to join the Software, Simulation, Systems Engineering and Integration Directorate (S3I) Joint Technology Center – Systems Integration Lab (JSIL) Technology and Certification Center. In this role, you'll support the development, integration, testing, and evaluation of advanced tactical data links and communications systems for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and other airborne and ground platforms supporting U.S. Army and DoD missions. This is a hands-on, multidisciplinary engineering role at the intersection of RF communications, digital signal processing, and electronic warfare. You’ll work across the test and evaluation lifecycle, from laboratory analysis and system integration to field, and flight testing, with opportunities to expand your expertise across these technical areas. The ideal candidate brings strong technical depth in one or more of these areas and an interest in expanding their expertise across the others. You’ll lead advanced test and analysis efforts, evaluate communications system and waveform performance, assess communications resilience and signal detectability, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and government stakeholders to deliver mission-ready capabilities and help inform future U.S. Army and DoD communications systems. If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, keep reading!

Leidos Defense Sector provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Solutions for Defense include enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. Our team is solving the worlds toughest security challenges for customers with "can\'t fail" missions.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise in RF communications, digital signal processing, and tactical data link technologies.
• Develop test strategies, plans, and procedures, and prepare technical reports for laboratory, field, and flight test activities.
• Plan, execute, and support RF communications system testing, including system integration, instrumentation, data collection, and post-test analysis.
• Analyze waveform performance, RF link quality, communications resilience, signal detectability, and overall system effectiveness under operationally representative conditions.
• Perform advanced signal analysis to characterize communications system performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Interface with government stakeholders, test organizations, and industry partners to support technology development, acquisition decisions, and system integration.
• Present technical findings and recommendations to internal leadership and government stakeholders.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to junior engineers and test personnel.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related engineering field with a minimum of 8 years of experience.
• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related engineering field with a minimum of 6 years of experience.
• Experience leading technical analysis or test activities for RF communications systems.
• Strong understanding of RF theory, including propagation, RF system performance, and link budget analysis.
• Strong understanding of digital communications concepts, including modulation, coding, filtering, waveform design, and signal processing.
• Experience troubleshooting RF or communications systems in laboratory, field, or flight test environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to develop technical reports, and briefings, and effectively present engineering recommendations.
• Active Secret security clearance with the ability to maintain it (Top Secret eligibility preferred).
• Must be a resident of Huntsville, AL or willing to relocate to the Huntsville, AL area.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. with an emphasis in electromagnetics, RF engineering, digital communications, or signal processing.
• Experience with Common Data Link (CDL), tactical data links, software-defined radios (SDRs), SATCOM, or resilient communications.
• Experience electronic warfare (EW), spectrum operations, or anti-jam (AJ) and low probability of detection (LPD) assessments.

Pay Range

Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00. The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

Pay and Benefits

• competitive compensation
• Health and Wellness programs
• Income Protection
• Paid Leave and Retirement

Securing Your Data

Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information at any part of the employment application process. And Leidos will communicate with you only through emails that are sent from a Leidos.com email address. If you receive an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information, please report the email to [e-mail].

Commitment and Diversity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.