Senior Systems Architect

echodynecorp; Kirkland (WA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Echodyne is seeking a Senior Systems Architect to join the Advanced Technology Development team in Kirkland, WA. You will define system architectures for rapid radar prototypes, connecting sensing, compute, power, software, and packaging into coherent solutions.

You will guide cross-disciplinary technical decisions, carry broad technical judgment, and enable fast decisions for prototype execution while maintaining architectural integrity and risk management.

Qualifications

• Experience creating architectures for hardware/software products, embedded radar or defense tech.
• Translate mission needs and environments into system requirements, interfaces and budgets.
• Define and manage performance budgets, design margins and baselines.
• Lead cross-disciplinary trade studies across RF, digital, mechanical, software, test and supplier constraints.
• Plan prototypes, experiments, integration events and verification activities.
• Communicate complex system decisions clearly to engineering and business stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop mission needs, concepts of operation, success criteria, and system objectives for radar prototypes and future projects.
• Translate product goals and use cases into architectures, requirements, interfaces, and budgets.
• Lead trade studies across radar, RF, digital, compute, calibration, power, packaging, software, test, cost, schedule, and manufacturability.
• Define prototype experiments, integration plans, and verification evidence for high-risk areas.
• Maintain architectural baselines, margins, decisions, risks, and configuration information.
• Collaborate with Product, RF, electrical, FPGA, software, mechanical, test, manufacturing, and suppliers to deliver solutions.

Skills

System architectures

Embedded systems

Radar systems

RF and digital architecture

Trade studies

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Communication to stakeholders

Education

BS in Engineering

Tools

MATLAB

Simulink

Python

Job description

Radar Reinvented.

Echodyne offers the world's first compact solid-state true beam-steering radar for a wide range of industries and applications. Our high-performance radars work in all weather and are designed for autonomous vehicles, uncrewed aircraft & drones, and security of borders, critical infrastructure, and smart cities. The company combines the patented technology of metamaterials with powerful software to create a radar sensor with unprecedented performance at commercial price points. Echodyne offers its radars to companies working in Automotive, Transportation, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Border Security, Smart Cities, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), and Airspace Management including Urban Air Mobility (UTM).

Senior Systems Architect

Advanced Technology Development

ROLE OVERVIEW

Echodyne is seeking a Senior Systems Architect to join the Advanced Technology Development team, define system architectures for rapid radar prototypes and critical technologies, and guide cross-disciplinary technical decisions.

You will join a high-performing engineering team that gives senior engineers meaningful ownership and a direct role in shaping future radar products. You will work on prototype and advanced technology development, where you will connect sensing, calibration, compute, power, packaging, software, test, and field-demonstration needs into a coherent system approach.

The ideal candidate combines practical systems architecture experience with broad technical judgment, disciplined experimentation, and the ability to create enough structure for fast decisions without slowing prototype execution.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop mission needs, concepts of operation, success criteria, and system objectives for radar prototypes and future Advanced Technology Development efforts
• Translate product goals, use cases, operating environments, research inputs, and business constraints into functional, logical, and physical architectures, requirements, interfaces, and technical budgets
• Lead trade studies across radar performance, RF and digital architecture, compute, calibration, power, thermal, mechanical packaging, software, test, cost, schedule, and manufacturability
• Define prototype experiments, integration plans, and verification evidence needed to retire the highest-impact technical risks before formal product development
• Maintain the technical integrity of architecture baselines, key assumptions, interfaces, margins, decisions, risks, and configuration-sensitive system information
• Collaborate with Product, Research, RF, electrical, FPGA, software, mechanical, PCB, test, manufacturing, suppliers, and key stakeholders to deliver mission-critical solutions
• Turn prototype results into clear architecture decisions, reusable system guidance, and transition packages that product-development teams can execute

REQUIRED SKILLS / EXPERIENCE

• Experience developing system architectures for complex hardware and software products, embedded systems, radar systems, sensing products, aerospace systems, or defense technology
• Demonstrated ability to translate mission needs, customer use cases, and operating environments into system requirements, architectures, interfaces, technical budgets, and verification intent
• Experience defining and managing performance budgets, error budgets, design margins, assumptions, interfaces, and technical baselines
• Experience leading cross-disciplinary trade studies and resolving decisions across RF, electrical, digital, mechanical, software or firmware, test, manufacturing, quality, and supplier constraints
• Experience planning prototypes, experiments, integration events, and verification activities that connect technical risk to objective evidence
• Ability to communicate complex system decisions, risks, and recommendations clearly to engineering and business stakeholders

DESIRED SKILLS / EXPERIENCE

(Looking for one or more as a complement to the core skills)

• Experience in advanced technology development, pathfinding, applied research, rapid prototyping, or technology readiness maturation
• Experience with radar, phased arrays, RF systems, signal processing, advanced sensing, autonomy, or other high-reliability and mission-critical products
• Experience with radar calibration, high-speed data interfaces, compute architectures, high-power subsystems, tiled apertures, or compact electronics packaging
• Experience using MATLAB, Simulink, Python, or equivalent tools for system analysis, budgets, modeling, test-data evaluation, or trade studies
• Familiarity with reliability, safety, EMI and EMC, environmental qualification, cybersecurity, design for manufacturing and assembly, supportability, and product assurance

QUALIFICATION

• BS in Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field and at least 8 years of relevant systems engineering or architecture experience, or equivalent experience
• Eligibility to handle export-controlled tec