RF Hardware Engineer

Role Summary We are looking for an RF hardware engineer to own the physical RF layer of our passive RF sensing systems - everything from the antenna to the ADC. You will design the RF signal chain and the high-frequency circuits behind it: antennas, LNAs, power amplifiers, filters, mixers, couplers, distribution and calibration networks, and the RF PCBs they live on. Key Responsibilities

• Own the RF signal chain design end to end: link budgets, cascaded noise figure, gain distribution, dynamic range, IP3/compression, sensitivity and selectivity trade-offs.
• Design and specify RF front-end hardware: LNAs, power amplifiers, filters, mixers, PLL/LO and frequency synthesis, attenuators, switches, couplers, splitters/combiners and limiters.
• Design high-frequency circuits and multilayer RF PCBs: impedance-controlled transmission lines, matching networks, stack-up and material selection, grounding and shielding.
• Select, specify and characterise antennas and antenna arrays (element spacing, radiation patterns, polarisation, mutual coupling, radome effects) for direction-finding and wideband sensing.
• Design phase- and amplitude-matched multi-channel RF paths for coherent reception, including LO/clock distribution and calibration networks.
• Bring up, debug and characterise hardware in the lab: VNA, spectrum analyser, signal generators, noise-figure measurements, oscilloscopes, plus over-the-air and chamber testing.
• Ensure EMC/EMI performance, thermal and mechanical integration, and reliable operation in real-world field conditions.
• Work closely with our SDR, embedded and DSP systems to integrate the front-end and verify end-to-end system performance.
• Support prototyping, design for manufacture, component and vendor selection, and the transition to small-series production.

- Required Qualifications

• Proven hands-on experience designing RF front-ends and receive signal chains
• Deep component-level knowledge of LNAs, power amplifiers, mixers, filters, couplers and PLL/synthesisers, and the real-world trade-offs between them.
• Practical RF PCB design experience (impedance control, matching, layout, grounding) with Altium, KiCad or equivalent.
• Experience with RF/EM simulation tools (e.g. ADS, AWR/Microwave Office, Ansys HFSS, CST or similar).
• Strong laboratory skills: confident with VNAs, spectrum analysers and signal generators, and comfortable debugging hardware you did not design.
• Ability to take a design from concept and simulation through prototype, measurement and field-ready hardware.

- Nice-to-Haves

• Antenna and antenna-array design, and direction-finding or emitter-localisation hardware.
• Familiarity with SDR platforms and multi-channel coherent reception.
• FPGA or DSP exposure (RFNoC, Vivado, digital filtering, calibration algorithms).
• Programming and scripting for test automation and measurement (Python, MATLAB, C/C++).
• Wideband spectrum monitoring or passive sensing system experience.
• EMC/EMI pre-compliance and regulatory testing background.
• Mechanical and thermal integration of RF assemblies, connectors, cabling and enclosures.