Space RF Service Engineer — Enablement & Validation

AST SpaceMobile; Lanham (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

AST SpaceMobile is seeking a Service Engineer to own RF and system-level correctness of satellite service passes, from beamforming configuration to post-pass RF/RAN analysis. You will validate, troubleshoot, and coordinate across ground stations, labs, and IOT testing to ensure reliable service delivery.

The role requires 5+ years in RF engineering or satellite communications, with strong expertise in link budgets, LTE/RAN, and DSP signal analysis.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of RF engineering, RAN, satellite communications or wireless systems validation.
• Strong knowledge of link budget analysis, EIRP, G/T and interference mitigation.
• Experience with IQ domain/DSP signal analysis including spectrogram/FFT inspection.
• Deep knowledge of LTE/RAN technologies and related equipment.
• Scripting/automation in Python, Lua, MATLAB for validation and telemetry parsing.
• Ability to analyze test results, identify root causes, and drive resolution across teams.
• Experience leading feature validation, production readiness, and handover activities.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead in-orbit testing and LTE end-to-end validation across payload, gateway RF chain, and RAN domains.
• Validate satellite and gateway configuration files, beamforming, and per-pass RF settings against link budgets.
• Perform RF and link budget analyses for LE0 passes, including EIRP and scan loss considerations.
• Analyze IQ data to diagnose signal quality, calibration, and beamforming performance.
• Troubleshoot RF, RAN, payload, and gateway issues impacting LTE performance and mobility.
• Define feature acceptance criteria, KPIs, validation plans, and rollout strategies.
• Lead cross-functional technical reviews with R&D, Operations, and Service teams.
• Build diagnostic tools and dashboards to accelerate pass analysis and troubleshooting.
• Prepare reports and handover packages for management and stakeholders.

Skills

RF engineering

RAN

Satellite communications

Python

Lua

MATLAB

IQ domain analysis

LTE/RAN knowledge

Education

B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering / Telecommunications / RF Engineering / Computer Engineering

Tools

IQ analysis tooling

Spectrogram/FFT analysis

Beamforming tools

Job description

AST SpaceMobile is seeking a Service Engineer to own RF and system-level correctness of satellite service passes, from beamforming configuration to post-pass RF/RAN analysis. You will validate, troubleshoot, and coordinate across ground stations, labs, and IOT testing to ensure reliable service delivery.

The role requires 5+ years in RF engineering or satellite communications, with strong expertise in link budgets, LTE/RAN, and DSP signal analysis.