Principal Rf/Antenna Engineer

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We're a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies - collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation's health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose - and help shape the future.

Department Summary:

MITRE operates six Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) including the Center for Enterprise Modernization (CEM) sponsored by our public sector partners including the Department of Commerce and the National Security Engineering Center (NSEC) sponsored by the Department of War. In the CEM FFRDC, we help Commerce in their mission to create economic growth and opportunity for all Americans. We do this by helping design new sensors and satellites, analyzing trade and industrial policy, prototyping cutting-edge, AI-enabled software, and working with industry to accelerate their entry into global markets.

MITRE is seeking a technically strong Spectrum/RF engineer who can function as a technical lead for spectrum-related research and test activities supporting the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and DoW stakeholders, primarily the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC). The ideal candidate possesses deep expertise in RF systems, antennas, communications, radar, waveforms, and spectrum-dependent technologies, combined with a strong background in test and evaluation.

In this position, you will directly support the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and serve as a core technical representative for the National Advanced Spectrum Communications Test Network (NASCTN). This multi-disciplinary team focuses on designing, prototyping, evaluating, testing, and fielding advanced measurement and test solutions across the electromagnetic spectrum. This specific program is dedicated to the development, coordination, execution, analysis, and documentation of planned and on-going spectrum sharing tests to ensure robust military and commercial spectrum coexistence

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Serve as a primary technical representative for NASCTN, interfacing directly with NIST stakeholders, federal agencies, commercial firms, and academia to coordinate advanced wireless testing initiatives.
• Provide technical direction and executive-level oversight for the development, coordination, and execution of complex, high-priority spectrum sharing and sensor tests.
• Serve as the primary technical voice and strategic liaison to senior DoD stakeholders, managing technical outcomes across multiple organizations.
• Analyze complex electromagnetic spectrum requirements and research emerging wireless technologies to advise sponsors on system integration and strategic impacts.
• Utilize programming environments such as MATLAB or Python to develop system-level engineering models, prototype sensor algorithms, and analyze complex signal processing data.
• Architect formal test methodologies, participate in physical data collections, conduct lab experiments, and guide advanced test facility operations.
• Partner with leadership to shape future work programs, author comprehensive technical reports detailing analytical work, and translate complex results into strategic recommendations.
• Foster collaborative engineering environments and quickly develop the technical and professional skills of junior staff through dedicated mentoring.
• Work within MITRE to convey advanced testing methodologies and research developed at NIST and NASCTN, engage with MITRE R&D programs to leverage novel test results and methodologies, and foster the collaboration between MITRE technical experts and NIST to address interdisciplinary research problems.

Basic Qualifications:

• Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 8 years and a Master's degree; or 5 years and a PhD
• Master's Degree or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Communications Engineering, Physics, or a highly related technical discipline.
• Experience heavily rooted in hands-on wireless testing, spectrum management, or RF/sensor systems engineering.
• Demonstrated deep technical expertise across military and commercial spectrum-dependent wireless systems, including radio systems, waveforms, MILSATCOM, cellular, and radar systems.
• Proven proficiency planning and conducting formal test methodologies, including hands-on data analysis using MATLAB or Python.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and briefing skills with a verified ability to communicate granular technical concepts simply and concisely to both engineering teams and non-technical project leadership.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoW Secret security clearance
• Per the U.S. Government's eligibility requirements for a clearance, U.S Citizenship is required.
• This position requires a minimum of 4 days a week on-site.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS or PhD in electrical engineering, math, or physics
• Active TS/SCI Security Clearance

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

None

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Secret

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

$173,200 - $216,500 - $259,800 Annual

Work Location Type:

Onsite

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.

MITRE intends to maintain a website that is fully accessible to all individuals. If you are unable to search or apply for jobs and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of MITRE's employment process, please email recruitinghelp@mitre.org for general support and collegerecruiting@mitre.org for intern positions. This service is for individuals requiring reasonable accommodation requests. Please note that vendor solicitations will not receive a reply.

Benefits information may be found here.

Copyright 1997-2026, The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved. MITRE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. Material on this site may be copied and distributed with permission only.