Senior Space Communications Engineer — RF & Antenna Lead

Cowboy Space Corp.; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 182,000 - 243,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per calendar year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance if applicable

Daily lunch in the office

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. seeks an experienced Space Communication Systems Engineer to design and validate wireless links for satellites. You will cover RF front-end, antennas, modems, and ground stations, spanning S-band through UHF with emphasis on link budgets and system performance.

The role blends hardware and software integration, requiring hands-on use of RF test equipment and collaboration across engineering teams to ensure robust, regulatory-compliant space communication links.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, RF/Wireless Communications, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of professional experience in wireless communication systems engineering, focused on satellite or space-based comms.
• Hands-on experience with S-band, X-band, and UHF radio systems for satellite applications.
• Experience with antenna design, simulation, and validation testing.
• Experience with ground station design, integration, operations.
• Strong background in link budget analysis and system simulation.
• Experience selecting, architecting, and integrating COTS modem hardware.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop wireless comms for satellite platforms across S/X/K/UHF bands.
• Lead antenna design, simulation, validation to meet coverage and pattern requirements.
• Support ground station design, integration, and operational readiness.
• Perform link budget analysis and simulations for mission scenarios.
• Select, architect, and integrate COTS modem hardware and validation.
• Collaborate with hardware/software teams to integrate the modem with other components.
• Analyze throughput, latency, and error rate; document results for reviews.
• Test RF, antenna, and modem subsystems; develop validation procedures.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and participate in FCC filings as needed.

Skills

RF/wireless fundamentals

Link budget analysis

Antenna design

Ground station design

COTS modem integration

RF test equipment

Physical layer modem knowledge

Education

Electrical Engineering / RF/Wireless / Aerospace Eng

Tools

Ansys HFSS

Keysight ADS

Vector network analyzers

Spectrum analyzers

BERTs

STK/MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. seeks an experienced Space Communication Systems Engineer to design and validate wireless links for satellites. You will cover RF front-end, antennas, modems, and ground stations, spanning S-band through UHF with emphasis on link budgets and system performance.

The role blends hardware and software integration, requiring hands-on use of RF test equipment and collaboration across engineering teams to ensure robust, regulatory-compliant space communication links.