Sr. RF Engineer

Assured Space Access, Inc; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage;

401(k) with company matching; and paid

Professional development support

Relocation assistance considered case

Hands‑on ownership of real scope in a?

Job summary

Assured Space Access Technologies, Inc. in Irvine, CA is seeking a Sr. RF Engineer to design, integrate, and test RF signal chains behind phased array, radar, and RF payload products.

You will lead cascaded chain budgets and collaborate with antenna, microwave, digital, and mechanical engineers to ensure performance from design to deliverable hardware. The role requires 8+ years of hands-on RF design and the ability to obtain a U.S. Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, physics, or a closely related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of hands‑on RF design, integration, and test experience on radar, SATCOM, electronic warfare, or comparable RF systems.
• Demonstrated ability to build and defend cascaded RF chain budgets and correlate them to measured results.
• Proficiency with RF simulation and analysis tools such as Keysight ADS, Cadence AWR Microwave Office, MATLAB, or equivalent.
• Hands‑on proficiency with RF lab instrumentation, including vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators, as well as fixture calibration and de‑embedding.
• Strong problem‑solving and communication skills for technical collaboration and reporting.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Ability to work on site in Irvine, CA.

Responsibilities

• RF Design and Analysis: design and analyze RF front-end signal chains for phased array and radar subsystems, including LNA/PA, mixers, filters, attenuators, limiters, and phase shifters.
• Budget management: build, defend, and maintain cascaded RF chain budgets covering noise figure, gain, third‑order intercept, compression, SFDR, and phase noise.
• T/R module architectures: develop transmit/receive module architectures and support calibration of array channels.
• Frequency Conversion, Test, and Integration: support frequency conversion and LO distribution design, including synthesizer selection and phase coherency.
• Bench/chamber testing: run measurements with VNA, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and figure meters; write test procedures and reduce data.
• System integration: work with antenna, microwave, digital, and mechanical engineers to close interfaces and support EMI/EMC screening.
• Sustainment and Program Support: assist fault isolation, repair, and requalification of RF assemblies; support reviews and documentation; travel as needed.

Skills

RF design experience

Problem solving

Communication skills

Hands-on troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, physics, or related

MS in electrical engineering (RF or microwave)

Tools

Keysight ADS

Cadence AWR Microwave Office

MATLAB

Vector network analyzers

Spectrum analyzers

Signal generators

Job description

Assured Space Access Technologies, Inc. is a defense and engineering firm delivering phased array, radar, RF payload, and secure communications solutions to government and prime contractor customers. We are headquartered in Irvine, California.

Team: Engineering Location: Irvine, CA (on-site) Employment Type: Full-Time Base Salary Range: $155,000 – $200,000 Clearance: This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. An active clearance is preferred.

Position Summary: As the Sr. RF Engineer, you will design, integrate, and test the RF signal chains behind our phased array, radar, and RF payload products. Working from the antenna aperture back through the receiver and exciter, you will own cascaded chain performance, transmit/receive module design, frequency conversion, and the bench and chamber measurements that validate it. You will work closely with antenna, microwave, digital, and mechanical engineers to make sure predicted performance survives integration into deliverable hardware. This is a senior individual contributor seat for an engineer with at least eight years of hands-on RF design, integration, and test experience.

Key Responsibilities

RF Design and Analysis

• Design and analyze RF front-end signal chains for phased array and radar subsystems, including low-noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, mixers, filters, attenuators, limiters, and phase shifters.
• Build, defend, and maintain cascaded RF chain budgets covering noise figure, gain, third-order intercept, compression, spurious‑free dynamic range, and phase noise; reconcile predicted performance with measured hardware.
• Develop transmit/receive (T/R) module architectures and support amplitude and phase calibration of array channels, including temperature-, frequency-, and scan‑angle‑dependent compensation.

Frequency Conversion, Test, and Integration

• Support frequency conversion and local oscillator distribution design, including synthesizer selection, spurious and harmonic analysis, and phase coherency across high channel counts.
• Run bench and chamber characterization using vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, noise figure meters, and vector signal analyzers; write test procedures and reduce measured data.
• Work with antenna, microwave, digital, and mechanical engineers to close interface definitions and support system‑level integration, EMI/EMC screening, and troubleshooting.

Sustainment and Program Support

• Support fault isolation, repair, and requalification of returned RF assemblies, and contribute to sustainment procedures and documentation.
• Support technical reviews, risk assessments, and engineering documentation.
• Travel as needed to facilities, test ranges, or vendor sites to support integration and testing.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, physics, or a closely related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of hands‑on RF design, integration, and test experience on radar, SATCOM, electronic warfare, or comparable RF systems.
• Demonstrated ability to build and defend cascaded RF chain budgets and correlate them to measured results.
• Proficiency with RF simulation and analysis tools such as Keysight ADS, Cadence AWR Microwave Office, MATLAB, or equivalent.
• Hands‑on proficiency with RF lab instrumentation, including vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators, as well as fixture calibration and de‑embedding.
• Strong problem‑solving and communication skills for technical collaboration and reporting.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Ability to work on site in Irvine, CA.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. in electrical engineering with an RF or microwave emphasis.
• Experience with active electronically scanned arrays (AESAs), including array‑level calibration and beam performance verification.
• Familiarity with GaN and GaAs MMIC devices, high‑power transmit chain design, and thermal management.
• Experience with software‑defined radio architectures, RF‑sampling data converters, and digital beamforming systems.
• Experience on defense programs with formal configuration management.

What we offer

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k) with company matching; and paid time off.
• Professional development support, including training and certifications relevant to your field.
• Relocation assistance considered case by case.
• Hands‑on ownership of real scope in a growing defense technology company.

Equal Opportunity

Assured Space Access Technologies, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Compensation Range: $155K - $200K