RF Spatial Engineer – Aerospace & Defense

Location: Cypress, CAWork Arrangement: OnsiteEmployment Type: Full-Time, Direct HireCompensation: $155,000–$165,000Relocation Assistance: May be available for the right candidate

The Opportunity

Tower Eleven is partnering with an advanced aerospace and defense technology company to identify an experienced RF Spatial Engineer for its Cypress, California team.

This is a hands-on engineering role focused on the design, development, testing, and production of advanced RF and microwave hardware for mission-critical aerospace, defense, and satellite communications applications.

The ideal candidate is an experienced RF engineer who is equally comfortable designing circuits, running simulations, working at the lab bench, troubleshooting prototype hardware, and collaborating with manufacturing teams to move designs into production.

This role will have a particular focus on high-power RF systems, Solid-State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs), Block Upconverters (BUCs), and spatial or quasi-optical power-combining architectures.

What You'll Do

• Design and develop advanced spatial and quasi-optical RF power-combining architectures.
• Architect, simulate, and develop RF/microwave circuits and subsystems, including SSPAs, BUCs, power amplifiers, frequency converters, synthesizers, filters, mixers, and transmit/receive modules.
• Perform RF and electromagnetic simulation using tools such as ADS, AWR Microwave Office, HFSS, and CST.
• Translate system requirements and simulation results into optimized, production-ready RF hardware.
• Select and evaluate RF components, including transistors, mixers, switches, and passive components.
• Develop detailed hardware validation and test plans.
• Configure and operate VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes, and power meters.
• Characterize RF hardware for gain, output power, efficiency, noise figure, linearity, stability, and thermal performance.
• Troubleshoot prototype hardware and investigate model-to-hardware performance discrepancies.
• Conduct failure analysis and root-cause investigations.
• Partner with mechanical, thermal, manufacturing, test, and quality engineers to ensure designs are reliable and manufacturable.
• Support new product introduction, prototype builds, design reviews, and production ramp-up.
• Resolve RF design, reliability, testing, and manufacturing issues.
• Prepare technical documentation, including design reports, test results, failure reports, and root-cause analyses.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, RF Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience designing, simulating, building, and testing RF or microwave circuits and subsystems.
• Experience with high-power RF hardware such as SSPAs, BUCs, power amplifiers, or comparable microwave subsystems.
• Experience with RF/EM simulation tools such as ADS, AWR Microwave Office, HFSS, or CST.
• Hands-on experience with VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes, and power meters.
• Experience measuring and analyzing RF performance, including gain, efficiency, output power, noise figure, linearity, stability, and thermal performance.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex RF hardware.
• Strong analytical and spatial-reasoning abilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work onsite in Cypress, California.

Highly Desired

• Spatial or quasi-optical power-combining experience.
• Aerospace or defense RF hardware experience.
• Satellite communications experience.
• Radar or electronic warfare experience.
• Experience taking RF hardware from concept and prototype through NPI and production.
• Design for manufacturability experience.
• Component qualification and environmental testing experience.
• Experience with high-reliability electronics.
• Cross-functional experience with mechanical, thermal, manufacturing, test, and quality engineering teams.

Compensation

The anticipated base salary is $155,000–$165,000 annually, depending on experience, technical capabilities, education, and overall alignment with the role.

Relocation assistance may be considered for a highly qualified candidate.

About Tower Eleven

Tower Eleven is a veteran-owned talent and recruiting partner supporting engineering, technology, and mission-driven organizations. We connect experienced professionals with opportunities where their technical expertise and leadership can make an immediate impact.

All inquiries and applications will be handled by Tower Eleven on behalf of our client.

Apply

If you're a hands-on RF/microwave engineer who enjoys taking complex hardware from simulation to the test bench and ultimately into production, we'd like to hear from you.

Please submit your resume with details about your experience with RF/microwave design, SSPAs or BUCs, RF simulation tools, and hands-on laboratory testing.