Senior RF Electrical Engineer, Amplifiers (Prism)

Role

As a Senior Electrical Engineer (RF), you will own Ka-band high power amplifier design for Prism, Northwood's 2.4-meter parabolic antenna for high-throughput satellite links. You will take amplifiers from architecture through prototype, characterization, and production, working closely with antenna, mechanical, thermal, and test engineers. This is a senior individual contributor role for someone who has designed, built, and debugged high power RF hardware at microwave or millimeter-wave frequencies.

Responsibilities

• Design Ka-band high power amplifiers for Prism, from line-up and architecture through schematic, layout, and hardware bring-up
• Develop power combining approaches that scale output power while protecting efficiency, linearity, and reliability
• Build electromagnetic and circuit simulation models (amplifier stages, matching networks, combiners, transitions) to design and evaluate performance before hardware
• Design supporting circuitry, including bias and sequencing, power conditioning, protection, monitoring, and digital control interfaces
• Own thermal and packaging considerations for high-dissipation RF hardware in partnership with mechanical and thermal engineers
• Characterize amplifier performance (output power, compression, PAE, linearity, spurious, stability) and troubleshoot integrated transmit chain performance
• Drive designs through reliability testing and into production, including test definition and manufacturing support
• Support integration and field troubleshooting of deployed Prism units

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related engineering discipline
• 5+ years of RF hardware design experience
• Hands-on experience designing and building power amplifiers at microwave or millimeter-wave frequencies (Ku-band or higher)
• Experience taking RF hardware from design through bring-up, characterization, and debug in the lab
• Proficiency with RF and EM simulation tools (such as Keysight ADS, Cadence AWR, Ansys HFSS, or CST)
• Comfort with RF test equipment, including network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and power meters

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in electrical engineering with a focus on RF or microwave design
• Ka-band solid state power amplifier (SSPA) or block upconverter (BUC) design for satellite communications
• GaN MMIC-based amplifier design, including device selection, matching, stability analysis, and bias networks
• Power combiner design, including waveguide, spatial, or planar approaches
• Waveguide component and transition design, including waveguide-to-microstrip transitions, rotary joints, and feeds
• Thermal management and packaging for high power RF electronics
• Linearity and modulated signal performance (IMD, ACPR, EVM, spectral regrowth), including linearization techniques
• Satcom transmit compliance, including emission masks and regulatory limits
• Design for manufacturing, production test development, and reliability qualification

Compensation

• RF Hardware/Level 3: $140,000-$175,000
• RF Hardware/Level 4: $152,000-$190,000
• RF Hardware/Level 5: $180,000-$226,000

Additional Information

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.