Senior RF Engineer

Talon Defense, Inc.; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Talon Defense, Inc. in Columbia, MD is seeking a Senior RF Engineer to advance signals research, waveform development, and HIL testing for DoD and IC customers.

You will bridge RF hardware, software-defined radio, and signal processing across the full lifecycle. You will collaborate with cyber operators, software engineers, and program leadership to translate findings into fielded capabilities, with responsibilities spanning characterization, protocol analysis, waveform synthesis, and hardware

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field
• Experience developing GNU Radio flowgraphs for signal capture, synthesis, or processing
• Strong RF signal analysis background, including modulation classification, timing recovery, and framing structures
• Hands-on experience with SDR hardware platforms (USRP, BladeRF, or similar)
• Experience conducting hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing of RF systems or waveforms
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance
• Strong written communication skills for clear technical documentation

Responsibilities

• Signal Characterization: Use spectrum analyzers and high-speed SDRs to capture and analyze RF signals
• Protocol Analysis: Perform deep-dive analysis into modulation schemes, symbol timing, and framing structures
• Waveform Synthesis: Develop and implement digital flowgraphs to construct required waveforms
• Hardware Integration: Configure and optimize SDR hardware for precise transmission and reception of synthesized signals
• Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing: Design and execute HIL test plans to validate waveform performance, timing accuracy, and system integration
• Documentation: Produce detailed technical specifications of analyzed waveforms to support downstream development
• Collaborate with software and cyber engineering teams to integrate RF findings into broader mission capabilities and tools
• Support proposal, capture, and customer engagement activities with technical inputs, as needed

Skills

GNU Radio flowgraphs

RF signal analysis

HIL testing

Documentation

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field

Tools

USRP

BladeRF

MATLAB/Simulink

Spectrum/SV analyzers

Job description

Columbia, MD Full-time Posted August 24, 2026

Overview

Talon Defense is seeking a Senior RF Engineer to join our team, supporting advanced signals research, waveform development, and hardware-in-the-loop testing for DoD and IC customers. This role sits at the intersection of RF hardware, software-defined radio, and signal processing, making it ideal for an engineer who wants to work across the full lifecycle of signal characterization, protocol analysis, waveform synthesis, and integrated hardware deployment. You'll work closely with cyber operators, software engineers, and program leadership to translate signals research into fielded capability.

Key Responsibilities

• Signal Characterization: Use spectrum analyzers and high-speed SDRs to capture and analyze RF signals
• Protocol Analysis: Perform deep-dive analysis into modulation schemes (e.g., PSK, QAM, FSK), symbol timing, and framing structures
• Waveform Synthesis: Develop and implement digital flowgraphs (using GNU Radio or MATLAB/Simulink) to construct required waveforms
• Hardware Integration: Configure and optimize SDR hardware (USRP, BladeRF, etc.) for precise transmission and reception of synthesized signals
• Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing: Design and execute HIL test plans to validate waveform performance, timing accuracy, and system integration under realistic operating conditions
• Documentation: Produce detailed technical specifications of analyzed waveforms to support downstream hardware and software development
• Collaborate with software and cyber engineering teams to integrate RF findings into broader mission capabilities and tools
• Support proposal, capture, and customer engagement activities with technical inputs, as needed

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent hands‑on experience in lieu of degree)
• Demonstrated experience developing GNU Radio flowgraphs for signal capture, synthesis, or processing
• Strong background in RF signal analysis, including modulation classification, symbol timing recovery, and framing/protocol structure identification
• Hands‑on experience with SDR hardware platforms (e.g., USRP, BladeRF, or similar)
• Experience conducting hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing of RF systems or waveforms
• Working knowledge of spectrum analysis tools and techniques (spectrum analyzers, vector signal analyzers, etc.)
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance
• Strong written communication skills, with ability to produce clear technical documentation for cross-functional teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink for waveform modeling and simulation
• Familiarity with digital signal processing (DSP) fundamentals including filtering, sampling theory, FFT-based analysis
• Prior experience supporting DoD or IC signals intelligence (SIGINT), electronic warfare (EW), or spectrum operations programs
• Experience with additional SDR platforms (e.g., HackRF, LimeSDR, Ettus X-series)
• Familiarity with Python or C++ for signal processing tool development or GNU Radio out-of-tree (OOT) module creation

Security Clearance

TS/SCI with CI Polygraph