Principal Radio Frequency Engineer

Job description

**Position Title:** Principal Radio Frequency Engineer **Location:** Onsite at Aberdeen Proving Grounds **Clearance Requirement**: Top Secret / With SCI eligibility **Employment type:** Full Time Research Innovations, Inc. (RII) is breaking through the big, slow status quo with transformative technology that fundamentally improves the world. We build advanced software solutions for government and military missions, applying agile development and user-centered design to solve complex, mission-critical problems. We are seeking a highly driven Principal RF Engineer to join our EW/SIGINT team supporting Defense and Intelligence Community missions. In this role, you will solve complex, mission-critical challenges and develop advanced RF collection capabilities that enable real-time situational awareness in dynamic operational environments. You will support and sustain deployed operational systems, ensuring performance, reliability, and mission effectiveness in real-world conditions, while contributing to systems that discover, analyze, and exploit signals across full-spectrum operations—delivering precise, actionable intelligence when it matters most. ### WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING - Support Army DEVCOM Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) initiatives onsite at APG - Design and optimize RF systems, including antenna selection, placement, and integration - Perform link budget analysis and signal propagation modeling to ensure system performance across operational environments - Develop and prototype solutions in both Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL) and field environments - Translate emerging mission requirements into technical concepts and rapid implementation plans - Design, develop, and document RF components, subassemblies, and system-level architectures - Review engineering designs, drawings, and technical documentation; provide actionable recommendations - Resolve engineering change requests from customers, manufacturers, and suppliers - Conduct reliability analysis and safety engineering assessments for RF systems - Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to deliver mission-ready capabilities under tight timelines ### WHAT YOU HAVE DONE - 6+ years of hands-on experience designing, building, and testing RF signal collection systems - 3+ years of experience in SIGINT or related fields (DoD, IC, or defense contractors) - Strong understanding of RF fundamentals, including signal propagation, antenna theory, and link budget analysis - Experience working in Agile environments, including use of tools such as Jira and Confluence - Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, including Project and Visio - Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships with technical teams and mission stakeholders - Proven track record of delivering solutions in fast-paced, mission-driven environments ### EVEN BETTER - Experience with modeling and simulation tools such as MATLAB or STK - Familiarity with requirements management tools such as DOORS Next Gen - Experience supporting rapid prototyping or Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) programs - Prior work in field testing or deployed RF/SIGINT systems