Senior Space Radar RF Engineer

Rocket Lab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Competitive medical plans

401(k) with company match

Paid vacation and holidays

Gym discounts

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior RF Engineer II – Radar to lead the technical development of radar and RF systems for space applications. You will drive system design, integration, testing, and flight readiness within a fast-paced space environment.

The role requires hands-on radar testing, waveform design, and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams to meet mission goals. U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain DoD clearance are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical or aerospace engineering.
• 8+ years of relevant experience in radar/RF systems.
• Hands-on experience with space-based radar systems and spacecraft integration.
• Strong understanding of orbital mechanics and spacecraft subsystems impact on radar.
• Experience delivering radar/RF systems from requirements to testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of space-based radar systems; architecture, prototyping, integration, test, and flight development.
• Define radar performance requirements and link budgets considering orbital parameters.
• Conduct radar payload design trades: antenna selection, waveform optimization, processing architectures.
• Drive decisions on radar modes, timing, PRF, and RF chain design for orbit dynamics.
• Develop radar calibration strategies and image quality validation for spaceborne systems.
• Interface with RF, digital, mechanical, thermal, and software teams.

Skills

Radar engineering

RF system design

Spacecraft systems

Orbital mechanics

RF components integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or aerospace engineering

Tools

MATLAB

STK

orbital analysis software

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior RF Engineer II – Radar to lead the technical development of radar and RF systems for space applications. You will drive system design, integration, testing, and flight readiness within a fast-paced space environment.

The role requires hands-on radar testing, waveform design, and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams to meet mission goals. U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain DoD clearance are required.