The role
- COMP
- $255K - $270K
- EQUITY
- Competitive
- LOCATION
- South Bay Area
- WORKPLACE
- Hybrid
- EXPERIENCE
- 8+ years
- VISA
- None, Visa transfers
- INDUSTRY
- Hardware, Logistics, B2B, Consumer
/roles — ROLE_309
Principal RF Payload Lead Engineer
Growth-stage satellite network company bringing direct-to-satellite coverage to ordinary phones and connected devices
The company
Satellite connectivity provider whose standards-based network lets everyday phones and connected IoT hardware link directly to satellites, with a commercial service already live across a large global device base.
- STAGE
- scale-up
- FUNDING
- $180M+ raised
- TEAM
- 150+ people
- FOUNDED
- 2017
- BACKING
- VC-backed
JD — the work
About the role
You would be the founding member of a new payload group, owning design, architecture, development and in-orbit performance of the RF payloads that carry direct-to-device service. The scope runs from requirements and architecture through delivery of hardware, integration, testing and support once the mission is flying, and you would define how the group operates before a team exists. It suits an engineer who has taken an RF system from design through build and test all the way to real users.
What you'll do
- Define payload RF architecture: waveform selection, frequency plans, front-end chains and phased-array antennas matched to cellular standards
- Drive phased-array analysis and design, from beamforming approach and scan behavior to G/T, EIRP, coverage and handover
- Take full ownership of link engineering, including budgets, coding and modulation schemes, Doppler, interference studies and regulatory constraints
- Run integration and verification, from functional checks and over-the-air trials to RF performance validation and environmental qualification
- Partner with the radio access and core teams so the payload behaves correctly with 3GPP non-terrestrial standards
- Support mission operations and track in-orbit performance once payloads are flying
What they're looking for
- 8+ years of experience in RF systems engineering
- A record of designing, building, testing and fielding RF systems that reached real users
- Depth in phased arrays, beamforming and link budget analysis
- Working knowledge of cellular standards, including how 3GPP handles non-terrestrial networks
- Comfort being the first person in a new group and defining how it works