Sr. RF Electrical Engineer

Venturi Astrolab, Inc.; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 169,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Comprehensive health benefits

401(k) with company match

Flexible PTO

On-site meals & snacks

Home office setup reimbursement

Weekly lunch stipend

Monthly social hour

Job summary

Venturi Astrolab, Inc. in Hawthorne, CA seeks a Sr. RF Avionics Engineer to lead the design, build, test, and operation of wireless communication systems for lunar and interplanetary missions.

The role requires 5+ years in RF hardware implementation, architecture, and analysis, reporting to the Director of Avionics Engineering. Based in Hawthorne, this full-time position emphasizes collaboration across disciplines, device qualification, and end-to-end system testing including vehicle and ground

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field or equivalent
• 5+ years of RF communications system design and component-level engineering
• Experience with digital communications fundamentals (modulation, spread spectrum, FEC)
• Experience using RF test equipment (VNAs, spectrum analyzers, power meters)

Responsibilities

• Own wireless communications systems from architecture to integration and operations.
• Develop interface requirements and collaborate with other engineering disciplines.
• Select, procure, and test RF components for interplanetary and lunar systems.
• Perform RF performance analysis (EVM, gain, noise, stability) and interdisciplinary system design.
• Implement test beds and ground support equipment for system integration.

Skills

RF communications design

Systems engineering

Signal processing basics

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

HFSS

ADS

FEKO

VNA

Spectrum analyzers

Job description

Sr. RF Electrical Engineer

Department: Avionics

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Hawthorne, California

Reporting To: Kevin Drumm

Compensation: $169,000 - $187,000 / year

Description

Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building, and operating a fleet of multi‑purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system. We are seeking motivated, creative, and exceptional people to join our world‑class team.

The Avionics team is responsible for all aspects of the electrical systems and hardware on Astrolab’s electric rover vehicles and ground support equipment. We work collaborative with all teams at Astrolab to provide exceptionally capable and reliable electronics to serve our missions.

As a Sr. RF Avionics Engineer, you will be responsible for a wide scope of communications system and component design, build, test, and operations on lunar surface missions. The ideal candidate has 5+ years of experience in RF communications hardware implementation including architecture, component selection, RF circuit design and analysis, and testing.

This position will report to the Director of Avionics Engineering and will be based in our Hawthorne, CA office.

What you'll do:

• Own wireless communications systems and components from architecture to component selection, integration, test, and operations. Systems may be focused on interplanetary and local lunar communication links.
• Develop interface and functional requirements and specifications to design to in collaboration with other engineering disciplines
• Select, procure, and test RF components to ensure qualification for purpose on Astrolab’s interplanetary systems. Qualification may include environmental testing as necessary.
• Perform detailed RF component performance analysis to support end-to-end communication system requirements (e.g., EVM, gain/stability, noise figure, etc.) in addition to interdisciplinary system design (e.g., power, thermal, etc.).
• Implement communication system integration test beds including ground support equipment
• Perform end-to-end system testing including vehicle integration and ground station systems integration testing
• Develop test plans/procedures to support the execution test events
• Support vehicle mission operations to help maintain reliable communication links
• Lead design reviews and collaboration with multi-disciplinary audiences

What you'll bring:

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years of experience in RF communications system design and component-level engineering, including transceivers, amplifiers, filters, and antennas.
• Experience with digital communications fundamentals, including modulation schemes, spread spectrum, and forward error correction.
• Experience using RF test equipment, including vector network analyzers (VNAs), spectrum analyzers, and power meters.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with RF simulation tools such as HFSS, ADS, FEKO, or similar software.
• Experience designing hardware for high‑reliability aerospace, defense, or other mission‑critical applications.
• Experience with or knowledge of environmental testing, including thermal chambers and environmental test standards (e.g., SMC‑S‑016).

Benefits and Perks

• Join a team of best‑in‑class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
• Equity ownership in the company
• Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Flexible PTO and parental leave
• Home office set up reimbursement
• Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
• Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks