Senior RF Systems Engineer I — Spacecraft & Payloads

Rocket Lab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top tier medical HMO

Company-sponsored medical HSA plan

Dental and vision coverage

3 weeks paid vacation and 5 days sick:

11 paid holidays per year

Flexible spending and dependent care

Paid parental leave

Disability insurance

Life insurance

401(k) with company match

Discounted employee stock purchase

EV charging stations

Onsite gym

Food and drinks

Other discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior RF Systems Engineer I to advance RF payloads and TT&C subsystems, with hands-on testing and system design responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.

The role requires a bachelor's in electrical engineering and 5+ years of relevant experience, strong RF knowledge, and the ability to obtain TS/SCI clearance; the package includes comprehensive benefits and a CA pay range of $130,000–$170,000.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, RF communications (or other engineering degree) and 5+ years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated RF knowledge including link budget analysis and linearity.
• A solid theoretical and practical understanding of RF communications and navigation systems and components.
• Can account for ITU constraints e.g. PFD limits and DSN protection.
• End to end experience in developing and delivering multiple RF systems including assessing requirements, prototyping engineering models, producing space worthy products, and mission support.
• Detailed knowledge in satellite operations, RF licensing and ground station networks will have been obtained and demonstrated.
• U.S. citizenship is required due to program requirements
• Ability to obtain a TS / SCI clearance

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain requirements specifications
• Conduct payload design trades in support of new business proposals
• Drive the development process, making key design decisions and trades
• Complete analyses in support of design needs
• Support the development of test plans and procedures
• Support the design and development of GSE and production automation
• Support the development of product documentation including ICDs and User Manuals
• Review proposals and requirements specifications to assess compliance based on existing unit capabilities vs development needs
• Scope and drive development activities for new requirements
• Support engineering reviews such as PDRs, CDRs and TRRs
• Provide technical support to internal/external customers including general questions and anomaly troubleshooting
• Maintain broad awareness of product development and production schedules to ensure the needs of customers and programs are satisfied

Skills

RF engineering

System design

RF testing

Satcom knowledge

Link budget analysis

Education

Bachelor’s in electrical engineering

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior RF Systems Engineer I to advance RF payloads and TT&C subsystems, with hands-on testing and system design responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.

The role requires a bachelor's in electrical engineering and 5+ years of relevant experience, strong RF knowledge, and the ability to obtain TS/SCI clearance; the package includes comprehensive benefits and a CA pay range of $130,000–$170,000.