Electrical Engineer, Optical Communications

We are looking for an RF Engineer to design and deploy advanced communication systems with a strong emphasis on high-speed optical communications and software-defined radio architectures. This role sits at the boundary of networking, RF avionics, and embedded compute, requiring a systems-level approach to building robust, flight-capable communication pipelines.

You will own the development of RF and hybrid RF/optical communication subsystems capable of delivering high-throughput data links under real-world constraints including motion, atmospheric interference, thermal variation, and limited power budgets.

- Design, develop, and integrate communication PCBAs, modulators, and devices for airborne or space-based platforms

- Architect and implement SDR-based communication pipelines (modulation, encoding, synchronization, and signal processing)

- Develop high-speed optical communication links (free-space optics / laser comms), including link budgeting, pointing and tracking, and alignment strategies with intelligent failover and redundancy

- Perform system-level trade studies from high-speed optical links

- Design and validate end-to-end communication chains, from data streams, through communication PCBAs, and to optical front-ends

- Collaborate closely with avionics, firmware, and compute teams to integrate comms systems into flight hardware

- Develop test infrastructure for lab and field validation, including over-the-air testing and optical link validation setups

- Analyze performance under real-world conditions (noise, interference, Doppler, atmospheric turbulence, pointing loss) and iterate rapidly

- Own documentation, interface definitions, and system performance metrics for communication subsystems

- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field

- 3+ years of experience in RF systems, communications engineering, or related domain

- Strong fundamentals in communication theory (modulation, coding, synchronization, signal propagation)

- Hands-on experience with RF lab equipment (spectrum analyzers, signal generators, VNAs, oscilloscopes)

- Familiarity with link budgeting and system-level performance analysis

- Experience working across hardware and software boundaries

- Experience designing or deploying high-speed optical communication systems (free-space optics, laser communications, coherent optical links, or photonics)

- Background in avionics, aerospace systems, or other mission-critical embedded environments

- Experience with real-time DSP implementation on embedded systems, FPGAs, or GPUs

- Familiarity with SDR frameworks and low-level radio hardware (e.g., USRPs or custom RF front-ends)

- Understanding of atmospheric effects on both RF and optical propagation (scattering, absorption, turbulence)

- Experience with pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) systems for optical links

- Knowledge of antenna systems, phased arrays, or optical beam steering technologies

- Experience with high-throughput data systems and low-latency communication architectures

- Experience working within SWaP (size, weight, and power) constraints for flight systems

- Strong debugging skills across the full stack: RF front-end, optical systems, firmware, and software

The salary range for this position is $150,000 - $200,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.