RF Hardware Engineer

Job Title: RF Hardware Engineer

Job Description

The RF Hardware Engineer designs, analyzes, and develops advanced RF, microwave, and high-speed analog and digital hardware for spacecraft missions, RF payloads, and RF instruments. This role spans the full lifecycle from concept through launch, including circuit design, simulation, layout, testing, documentation, and technical leadership, while collaborating closely with mission, spacecraft, and subsystem engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Design RF, microwave, and high-speed analog and digital circuits and components, ensuring high reliability for spaceflight applications.
• Perform detailed circuit and system simulations to predict and optimize performance across RF, microwave, and high-frequency domains.
• Create layouts for RF, microwave, and high-frequency lumped and distributed element circuits, including printed circuit boards with high-density digital and RF content.
• Conduct circuit-level analysis to evaluate performance, identify issues, and recommend design improvements.
• Develop and maintain schematic drawings, test plans, test procedures, and comprehensive test reports for hardware designs.
• Collaborate with mission and spacecraft systems engineers, subsystem engineers, and project management throughout the mission lifecycle from concept through launch.
• Contribute to technical concept design and requirements definition for RF payloads and instruments.
• Participate in and support technical reviews, including design reviews and readiness assessments, providing expert input on RF and high-frequency hardware.
• Assist in the development of project budgets and schedules related to RF and hardware activities.
• Lead technical teams through the full development cycle, including conceptualization, trade studies, prototype design and testing, flight hardware development, integration, and verification.
• Guide and mentor team members on RF, microwave, high-speed analog, and digital hardware design best practices.
• Support spacecraft integration and test activities, including off-hours testing when required for spacecraft-level operations.
• Assist project and program management in engaging sponsors and stakeholders, providing technical insight and status updates.
• Apply communications systems theory and RF theory to the design and analysis of payloads, instruments, and associated hardware.
• Utilize microwave, electromagnetic, and high-speed digital tools and simulators to model, analyze, and validate designs.
• Perform RF characterization and measurements up to Ka-band and beyond, including evaluation of antennas, RF payloads, and instruments.
• Contribute to the design and development of radar systems, military satellite communications systems, sensors, and software-defined radio architectures.
• Document design approaches, analyses, and test results, and contribute to external publications and technical reports.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or an equivalent field.
• 7 or more years of recent, hands-on experience in RF, microwave, or high-frequency analog or digital hardware design.
• Experience with spaceflight high-reliability hardware development from conceptual design through delivery.
• Detailed knowledge of discrete transistor-based circuit design, including test and analysis techniques.
• Strong in RF, microwave, high-frequency analog, and digital circuit design principles.
• Experience with RF or high-frequency analog and digital CAD tools for circuit design and analysis.
• Proficiency in high-speed, RF, and high-density digital circuit layout and packaging.
• Ability to conduct circuit-level analysis to determine and optimize performance.
• Familiarity with communications systems theory and RF theory.
• Experience using microwave, electromagnetic, and high-speed digital tools and simulators such as ADS, HFSS, Genesys, FEKO, HyperLynx, and Ansys SIWave.
• Proficiency with layout and schematic capture tools such as Mentor and Altium.
• Experience with software-defined radios, antennas, RF characterization and measurements to Ka-band or beyond.
• Experience with radar systems design and military satellite communications systems and sensors.
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours for spacecraft-level testing activities for short periods of time.
• Ability and willingness to travel infrequently to customer or sponsor locations and spacecraft integration and test sites.
• Ability to obtain a Top Secret level security clearance, if required for project work.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• PhD degree in Electrical Engineering with leadership experience in RF systems, payload, or instrument design.
• History of external publications related to RF, microwave, or high-speed digital hardware.
• Experience with lumped and distributed element design techniques using discrete or MMIC-based transistor technologies.
• Experience with RF payloads and RF instruments for spacecraft and spaceflight missions.
• Experience in payload and flight hardware development for spaceflight applications.
• Familiarity with electromagnetic theory and advanced RF concepts relevant to high-frequency systems.
• Experience working in highly collaborative, mission-driven engineering environments.
• Interest in contributing to national and scientific missions that address critical technical challenges.

Work Environment

This is an onsite role with some flexibility in working hours. The position involves periods of flexible and off-hours work to support spacecraft-level testing and integration activities. You will work in a highly collaborative environment alongside a dedicated team of engineers focused on developing next-generation spacecraft, RF payloads, and RF instruments. The culture emphasizes integrity, trusted service, world-class technical expertise, game-changing impact, and a supportive, engaging atmosphere. Work may occasionally require travel to customer or sponsor locations and spacecraft integration and test sites, and you will regularly use advanced RF, microwave, electromagnetic, and high-speed digital design and simulation tools, as well as industry-standard schematic capture and PCB layout software.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Laurel, MD.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $100000.00 - $160000.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Laurel,MD.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 1, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.