Wireless Systems Engineer

Hydronet; Burlington (MA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Hydronet, a deep-tech startup in Burlington, MA, is seeking a Wireless Systems Engineer to drive physical-layer algorithm development for underwater communication technology. The role involves designing, simulating, and validating algorithms, and ensuring they transition from prototypes to products. Ideal candidates should have a PhD in Electrical Engineering or a Master's with relevant experience. A strong background in signal processing and hands-on experience with relevant technologies is essential. U.S. citizenship or resident status is required.

Qualifications

• Experience in physical-layer algorithm development and prototyping.
• Strong foundation in digital signal processing, communication theory.
• Hands-on experience with FPGA, SDR, or DSP platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design and validate communication algorithms from prototype to product.
• Build simulation models to validate performance under realistic conditions.
• Implement and optimize algorithms on target platforms.

Skills

Digital signal processing

Communication theory

Physical-layer system design

Prototyping platforms (FPGA, SDR, DSP)

Simulation tools

Machine learning

Education

PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field

Master's degree in related field with 3–4 years experience

Tools

MATLAB

Python

C/C++

Job description

Hydronet is a deep-tech startup building next-generation, AI-powered, and software-defined underwater sensing, communication, networking, and analytics technology. We are on a mission to revolutionize connected underwater intelligence.

The Role

We are hiring a Wireless Systems Engineer to drive physical-layer algorithm development and prototyping for our core platform. You'll design, simulate, implement, and validate wireless communication algorithms — and see them through to working hardware, from early prototypes to deployed products. This is a hands‑on role with significant technical ownership in a startup environment, working closely with system architects, software and hardware engineers, and product leadership.

Responsibilities

• Design, simulate, implement, and validate communication algorithms — including modern AI/ML-driven approaches — and see them through the full lifecycle, from prototype to product.
• Build simulation models (e.g., MATLAB, Python, C/C++) to validate algorithm performance under realistic channel and impairment conditions, and to support design trade-offs for production systems.
• Implement, optimize, and harden algorithms on target platforms (FPGAs, SoCs, SDRs, or DSPs), taking them from early prototypes through to deployable, product‑grade implementations.
• Conduct lab, tank, and in‑water field testing over real underwater channels; characterize system performance, validate against product requirements, and iterate based on measured results.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally on system architecture, transducer/optical front‑end integration, and product requirements to ensure algorithms meet performance, reliability, and manufacturability targets.
• Document designs, test results, and trade‑off analyses to support team alignment, product release readiness, and IP development.

Qualifications

Candidates should meet one of the following profiles:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Wireless Communications, Signal Processing, or a closely related field, with demonstrated experience in physical‑layer algorithm development, implementation, and prototyping; OR
• Master's degree in a related field, combined with 3–4 years of industry experience in product‑level development of communication systems, with a proven track record taking physical‑layer designs from concept through implementation.

In addition, all candidates should have:

• Strong foundation in digital signal processing, communication theory, and physical‑layer system design.
• Hands‑on experience with simulation tools and at least one prototyping platform (FPGA, SDR, or embedded DSP).
• Comfort operating in a startup environment — adaptable, self‑directed, and able to navigate ambiguity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with underwater acoustic communications, sonar systems, or visible light / optical wireless communications.
• Familiarity with software‑defined radio platforms adapted for acoustic or optical front‑ends, FPGA development (Verilog/VHDL or HLS), or real‑time embedded DSP.
• Experience with OFDM, spread spectrum, adaptive equalization, or other techniques for time‑varying, multipath‑heavy channels.
• Experience with link‑level and system‑level simulations, channel impairments, and channel modeling.
• Lab and field experience with hydrophones, transducers, photodetectors, oscilloscopes, signal generators, and in‑water testing.
• Experience applying machine learning or deep learning to communications problems (e.g., learned channel estimation/equalization, neural decoders, autoencoder‑based end‑to‑end communication, reinforcement learning for adaptive transmission).
• Familiarity with ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) and deploying ML models on embedded or real‑time platforms.

Work Authorization

Due to the nature of our current projects, candidates must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents (green card holders).