Senior RF Design Engineer

Astranis; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Healthcare

401(k)

Flexible PTO

Free on-site meals

Job summary

Astranis in California is seeking an RF Engineer to design, qualify, and procure active RF electronics for satellite payloads. You will work with mechanical, electrical, and software engineers to meet system requirements and integrate subsystems on the spacecraft.

The role emphasizes hands-on design from requirements to manufacturing and testing, with opportunities to recruit and grow the team. A BS in EE with 6+ years of experience and familiarity with ADS, Cadence, HFSS, and Altium are valued.

Qualifications

• BS in electrical engineering, physics, applied physics, or equivalent.
• Hands-on design and development in hardware.
• 6+ years of RF experience.
• Experience with RF simulation tools (ADS, Cadence, HFSS, etc).
• Experience with PCB design, layout and simulation (Altium or similar).

Responsibilities

• Design, simulate, implement, and measure active and passive RF sub-systems at microwave frequencies.
• Be responsible for hardware designs from requirements definition through manufacturing, bring-up, and qualification testing
• Integrate these systems into the spacecraft by working closely with the rest of the team
• Specify, procure, and integrate third party vendor hardware
• Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team

Skills

RF engineering

Microwave design

Hardware development

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

BS in electrical engineering

Tools

ADS

Cadence

HFSS

Altium

Job description

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.

With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.

Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

As an RF Engineer you will be responsible for design, qualification, and procurement of active RF electronics (frequency converters, SSPAs, LNAs, PLLs, etc) in the RF front end of satellite payloads. You will work closely with other mechanical, payload systems, electrical, and software engineers to achieve overall system requirements in your designs.

Role

• Design, simulate, implement, and measure active and passive RF sub-systems at microwave frequencies, including; SSPAs, LNAs, power amplifiers, up/down converters, oscillators, filters, etc.
• Be responsible for hardware designs from requirements definition through manufacturing, bring-up, and qualification testing
• Integrate these systems into the spacecraft by working closely with the rest of the team
• Specify, procure, and integrate third party vendor hardware
• Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team

Requirements

• BS in electrical engineering, physics, applied physics, or equivalent
• Passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands‑on design and development
• 6+ years of experience
• Deep knowledge of fundamental RF concepts, such as RF circuit analysis, amplifier design, noise, linearity, radio architectures, etc
• Hands‑on experience in designing, building, and testing RF hardware for microwave frequencies
• Proven completion of product from concept to production.
• Experience with RF simulation tools (ADS, Cadence, HFSS, etc)
• Experience with PCB design, layout and simulation (Altium or similar)

Bonus

• MS or PhD in electrical engineering, physics, applied physics, or equivalent
• Experience with system in package (SiP), multi‑chip modules (MCM), packaged RF hybrids, etc
• Experience designing SSPAs or implementing SSPA‑based phased arrays
• Experience with designing high reliability electronics for harsh environments such as space or automotive
• Antennas and Electromagnetics propagation knowledge and background
• Experience with Software Defined Radios and associated skillset (mixed signal, high speed digital)
• Familiarity with Python or other scripting languages used for automating test instruments

What we offer:

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company‑subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on‑site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional‑grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

$170,000 - $230,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Astranis’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.