Senior RF Electrical Engineer

Safran Federal Systems; City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

401k Retirement Program with Employer

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Safran Federal Systems in Rochester, NY seeks a senior electrical engineer with strong RF design experience to design, develop, and test PCBs and electrical subsystems for defense applications.

You will own schematic capture, layout reviews, and hardware integration across the full lifecycle, collaborating with software, mechanical, and manufacturing teams to ensure robust RF performance and compliant design documentation.

Qualifications

• 4+ years with a Bachelor’s, or 2+ years with a Master’s in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Experience in RF and electrical hardware design and validation.
• Hands-on RF system and subsystem testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead PCB design, development, build and test of prototypes and hardware.
• Perform detailed circuit design, simulation, and analysis (analog/digital/mixed-signal).
• Guide RF subsystem integration and optimize system performance.

Skills

RF design

PCB design

Schematic capture

Altium Designer

High-speed design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering (optional)

Tools

Cadence Allegro

OrCAD

Job description

We are seeking a skilled and experienced senior electrical engineer, with a focus on RF design, to join our dynamic team. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, developing, and testing printed circuit boards (PCBs) and electrical system for Safran products. As there is a focus on RF design, the ideal candidate brings a solid foundation in RF engineering and is comfortable stepping into an RF role while also supporting general hardware development activities. This role requires an understanding of electric components, circuit design, and PCB layout, as well as proficiency in industry-standard software and tools. The engineer will work through the full hardware development lifecycle: from concept, schematic capture, and layout review to hardware integration and system validation.

Our Technology:

We’re the world leader in Resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (R-PNT) solutions that improve the reliability, performance, and safety of critical high-risk operations, even in GPS/GNSS denied environments. We provide virtually fail-safe GNSS and PNT solutions and applications for military and government contract customers.

How I will Contribute:

• Design, development, build and test PCB prototypes, conduct debugging and troubleshooting to identify and resolve issues. Lead smaller projects related to large scale design efforts.
• Design, develop and test electrical hardware systems and components for electrical systems
• Perform detailed circuit design, simulation, analysis (analog, digital, and/or mixed signal)
• Guide integration, optimization, and troubleshooting the system performance of RF/photonic subsystems
• Support system-level analysis for RF performance, including impedance matching, isolation, noise figure, and signal chain integrity
• Design, simulate, and validate RF circuits including match networks, filters, amplifiers, and interfaces to agile or software-defined transceivers
• Work with counterparts to translate component-level specifications into system requirements, and flag where performance claims won’t translate into full RF performance
• Support qualification and validation of key RF test infrastructure
• Develop and maintain electrical component and hardware specifications and design documentation
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including software engineers, mechanical engineers and manufacturing, to ensure timely delivery of high-quality products
• Work with a cross-functional team of engineers, providing technical leadership across projects
• Collaborate on schematic capture, PCB layout, and component selection ensuring best practices for both RF and mixed-signal performance.
• Develop and execute test plans and procedures to ensure the quality and reliability of electrical hardware systems and components
• Create and maintain detailed design documentation, including schematics, layout files, BOMs (Bill of materials) and test plans.
• Ensure designs comply with industry standards and regulatory requirements, including MIL-STD, EMI/EMC and safety standards
• Develop and maintain relationships with vendors and suppliers to ensure the availability of materials and components
• Collaborate with manufacturing teams to ensure the successful transition of electrical hardware designs to production.
• Stay updated with the latest advancements in PCB design, materials and manufacturing processes to continuously improve product quality and efficiency

What You Bring to the role:

• 4+ years with A Bachelor’s, or 2+ years with a master’s degree, in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field
• Experience in RF and electrical hardware design and validation
• Hands-on experience in designing and testing RF systems and subsystems
• Proficiency in electrical hardware design tools, such as Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, or OrCAD
• Understanding of PCB layout best practices, including high-speed design, EMI/EM considerations, thermal management, RF isolation, and manufacturability
• Familiarity with industry standards and regulations, such as FCC, EL, CE, and MIL-STD testing
• Strong understanding of analog, digital, RF, and/or power supply circuit design
• Proven ability to work across engineering domains
• Experience with high-speed PCB design and signal integrity analysis is a plus
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, DFM (Design for Manufacturing), and DFA (Design for Assembly) principles
• Documented active US Government Security Clearance at the Secret level or higher highly preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Positive attitude and ability to engage and influence
• Excellent communication and teamwork abilities
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines

Some of the Good Stuff:

• Paid Time Off
• 401k Retirement Program with Employer Match
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Flexible working arrangements

About Safran Federal Systems:

Safran Federal Systems has been awarded as a Winner of the USA Today and Rochester Metro Area Top Workplaces 2026 Award.

In 2022, Safran acquired Orolia, now Safran Trusted 4D, the world leader in Resilient PNT. At the intersection of critical infrastructure and national defense, Safran Trusted 4D solutions govern and protect the integrity of systems that shape the world. In early 2019, Orolia Defense & Security spun off as a separate entity from its parent company Orolia, with the mission of providing resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions and custom engineering services to U.S. Government agencies, U.S. Defense organizations, and their contractors.

In August of 2019, Orolia Defense & Security acquired Talen-X, a U.S. company specializing in advanced GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) Simulation solutions and Interference, Detection, and Mitigation (IDM) technologies. Talen-X's portfolio was an ideal fit and has helped to enhance Safran FS's overall offerings. The acquisition enabled Talen-X's existing resources, operations, and capabilities to be

Read the press release here.

Safran Federal Systems operates as a proxy-regulated company, Free of Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI). As such, Safran FS Defense & Security is approved to work on the full spectrum of U.S. Government classified and unclassified projects and is positioned to support strategic partnerships in the development of key PNT technologies for the defense market.

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.

Please note this description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.