Senior Staff RF Design Engineer (RDE)

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; On-site; USD 177,000 - 265,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Discretionary bonus

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Senior RF Design Engineer (T05) to own the end‑to‑end RF development for satellite payload and EW systems. You will drive architecture, simulation, prototyping, and qualification testing, collaborating with cross‑functional teams to deliver flight‑worthy products.

The role requires hands‑on RF hardware design, EM modeling, and test execution, with travel up to 10% and eligibility to obtain a U.S. government clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related STEM field.
• 12 years of RF hardware experience in Aerospace/Defense.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Take technical ownership of RF modules, units, or subsystems (SSPAs, LNAs, etc.).
• Perform RF/microwave circuit design, EM modeling and simulation.
• Derive and manage subsystem requirements from system specifications.
• Develop space-qualified PCB layouts and packaging design.
• Develop test plans and perform environmental testing for flight readiness.
• Lead design reviews (PDR, CDR) and mentor junior engineers.

Skills

RF design

Team leadership

Requirements derivation

System integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master’s preferred

Ph.D. preferred

Tools

Ansys HFSS

Keysight ADS

NI AWR Microwave Office

Job description

Relocation Assistance: None.

Travel: Yes, up to 10% of the time.

Clearance Required at Start: None. Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance (Secret or higher) is required.

Position Summary

Senior RF Design Engineer (T05) responsible for advanced, space‑qualified radio frequency (RF) hardware. Owns the end‑to‑end development cycle from requirements derivation and architecture design to simulation, prototyping, and qualification testing for satellite payload and ground‑based electronic warfare systems and collaborates with cross‑functional teams to deliver flight‑worthy products.

Key Responsibilities

• Take technical ownership of RF modules, units, or subsystems (e.g., SSPAs, LNAs, Frequency Converters, Phased Array Antennas).
• Perform complex RF/microwave circuit design, EM modeling, and simulation using tools such as Ansys HFSS, ADS, or CST.
• Derive, document, and manage subsystem requirements from system‑level mission specifications.
• Perform link budget, cascade, and gain/loss analyses.
• Lead the development of space‑qualified PCB layouts (mixed‑signal), component selection, and packaging design.
• Develop test plans, conduct characterization, and perform environmental testing (thermal vacuum, vibration, EMI/EMC) to ensure flight readiness.
• Serve as technical lead during design reviews (PDR, CDR).
• Mentor junior engineers and collaborate with manufacturing to transition designs to production.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related STEM field and 12 years of experience (10 years with a Master’s; 8 years with a Ph.D.).
• Demonstrated experience designing, testing, and troubleshooting active or passive RF hardware in the Aerospace & Defense industry.
• Strong proficiency in RF/microwave engineering fundamentals (cascaded analysis, noise figure, linearity, gain).
• Hands‑on experience with lab equipment (VNA, spectrum analyzers).
• Extensive experience with EDA tools, specifically Ansys HFSS, Keysight ADS, or National Instruments AWR Microwave Office.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance (Secret or higher).
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience designing hardware that has flown on satellites or launch vehicles.
• Experience with phased array antennas, beamforming, and complex, non‑planar EM modeling.
• Deep knowledge of MIL‑STD‑810G, MIL‑STD‑461, and space environmental testing standards.
• Experience acting as an RDE (Responsible Design Engineer) or IPT (Integrated Product Team) lead, with responsibility for technical schedule and budget.
• Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for test automation and data analysis.

Salary Range

$177,000.00 - $265,600.00 (gross) – general guideline; specific offer based on experience, education, and market conditions.

Benefits

Health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, company‑paid holidays, paid time off (vacation and/or personal business), potential overtime, shift differential, discretionary bonus, and long‑term incentives for eligible positions.

Equity and EEO Statement

Northrop Grumman is an Equal‑Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. This position is contingent upon capturing program award(s) and obtaining and maintaining associated business and/or customer funding.