Spectrum Radio Frequency Engineer

Leidos Inc; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Wellness programs

Income Protection

Paid Leave and Retirement

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Spectrum RF Engineer to support the FAA Spectrum Engineering Services Group in Washington, DC. The role focuses on coordinating frequency assignments for radar, air-ground voice, and NAS systems, ensuring compliance with FAA Orders and NTIA Redbook.

The ideal candidate has an electrical engineering degree or equivalent training and 2+ years in spectrum/RF engineering, with US citizenship and the ability to obtain a Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or completion of a formal spectrum management course or equivalent military experience in spectrum management.
• 6+ years of relevant experience in radio frequency engineering and/or spectrum engineering.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability to learn FAA-specific software and systems.
• Must be a US citizen.
• Must have a security clearance of Secret or higher or be able to meet the requirements for one and experience working in a SCIF

Responsibilities

• Contributes to the planning, coordination, and execution of FAA and non-FAA frequency assignment actions, ensuring that technical analyses and documentation conform to FAA Orders, the NTIA Manual (Redbook), and established engineering standards.
• Perform radio-frequency compatibility analyses using the FAA's spectrum-automation and modeling tools to identify and mitigate potential interference among communications, navigation, and surveillance systems.
• Conduct RF propagation, link-budget, EMC, and interference analyses using FAA spectrum-automation and modeling tools.
• Validate all technical data (location, equipment, parameters, emission designator, power, bandwidth, and antenna characteristics) for completeness and accuracy.
• Collaborates closely with other federal and contractor engineers, Service Area Spectrum Offices, and FAA program offices to resolve technical issues and advance records through the assignment and coordination process.

Skills

Spectrum engineering

RF engineering

Microsoft Office

US citizen

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering

Spectrum management training or equivalent military experience

Tools

Spectrum XXI

FAA spectrum-automation tools

Job description

Description

Leidos' NISC IV program seeks a Spectrum Radio Frequency Engineer to support the FAA Spectrum Engineering Services Group.

The Spectrum Engineering Group is responsible for securing, managing, and protecting all civil aviation spectrum resources to ensure interference-free operation of FAA communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) systems across the National Airspace System (NAS).

The ideal candidate will have an electrical engineering degree or other training and at least 2 years of spectrum engineering and/or radio frequency engineering experience. This role performs engineering and coordinating of frequency assignment actions for primary surveillance radar systems, air-to-ground voice communication, Land mobile radio, microwave, satellite, and various other Radio Frequency (RF) Spectrum Engineering disciplines while ensuring compliance with FAA Order 6050.32 and NTIA Redbook requirements.

*Must be commutable to the Washington DC area.

*While the position itself is hybrid/remote (most of the time) - the candidate will be expected to go into the office in DC on an as needed basis to access SCIF.

Core Responsibilities (All Bands):

• Contributes to the planning, coordination, and execution of FAA and non-FAA frequency assignment actions, ensuring that technical analyses and documentation conform to FAA Orders, the NTIA Manual (Redbook), and established engineering standards.

• Perform radio-frequency compatibility analyses using the FAA's spectrum-automation and modeling tools to identify and mitigate potential interference among communications, navigation, and surveillance systems.

• Conduct RF propagation, link-budget, EMC, and interference analyses using FAA spectrum-automation and modeling tools.

• Validate all technical data (location, equipment, parameters, emission designator, power, bandwidth, and antenna characteristics) for completeness and accuracy.

• Collaborates closely with other federal and contractor engineers, Service Area Spectrum Offices, and FAA program offices to resolve technical issues and advance records through the assignment and coordination process.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or completion of a formal spectrum management course or equivalent military experience in spectrum management.

• 6+ years of relevant experience in radio frequency engineering and/or spectrum engineering.

• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

• Ability to learn FAA-specific software and systems.

• Must be a US citizen.

• Must have a security clearance of Secret or higher or be able to meet the requirements for one and experience working in a SCIF.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of spectrum-engineering principles, electromagnetic theory, and radio-frequency propagation as applied to communications, navigation, and surveillance systems that support the National Airspace System (NAS).

• Experience in applying analytical and automation tools to perform frequency-assignment processing, data validation, and compatibility analysis, with attention to accuracy and completeness.

• Experience evaluating radio-frequency system parameters to identify and mitigate potential interference and resolving routine and complex spectrum-engineering problems.

• Familiar with Spectrum XXI or similar federal spectrum management tools is highly desirable.

• Ability to perform engineering calculations (FSPL, link budgets, noise/interference ratios, power conversions).

• Ability to interpret technical data and apply mitigation best practices to resolve RF interference issues affecting aviation systems.

• Knowledge of roles and responsibilities of spectrum management within the National Airspace System (NAS).

• Knowledge of frequency management practices, including engineering, assignment, and protection of radio frequencies, and the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) Redbook.

• Knowledge of and experience with various frequency policy organizations, including National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Interdepartmental Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC), and associated sub-committees, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting: September 14, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range: $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers.

• competitive compensation
• Health and Wellness programs
• Income Protection
• Paid Leave and Retirement

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos' name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system - never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at [e-mail].

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.

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