Senior RF Systems Engineer at Northwood Space in Torrance, CA

Northwood is on a mission to transform connectivity between Earth and space. Satellites are only as powerful as the ground systems that connect to them - without that critical infrastructure, they can’t be steered or send their data back to Earth. Northwood’s global ground network ensures that missions ranging from national security, to global connectivity, to disaster response can unlock their full potential and operate every day without fail. We take a vertically integrated approach to building an end-to-end ground system, delivering technology that is scalable and reliable for both government and commercial customers. Backed by over $100M from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Washington Harbour Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, Founders Fund, and others, Northwood has proven its ability to move fast – we’ve stood up a fully operational site in Australia in just 3 months, where similar efforts typically take years. Northwood is rapidly scaling its global footprint, with 30+ sites planned across 2026 and 2027. We’re building and deploying infrastructure at a pace the industry hasn’t seen before. If you thrive on building quickly, solving hard problems, and seeing your work deployed globally on critical missions, we want you at Northwood. SENIOR RF SYSTEMS ENGINEER (COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS) As a Senior RF Systems Engineer, you will architect, define, and evaluate advanced RF communication systems supporting satellite and ground network products. This role sits at the intersection of customer requirements, product development, and multi-disciplinary engineering—translating mission needs into scalable, high-performance RF architectures and hardware specifications. You will guide communication products through the entire development lifecycle, bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world deployment. Collaborating closely with electrical, software, and manufacturing teams, you will act as a key technical liaison for customers, ensuring our products deliver robust link performance, regulatory compliance, and seamless system integration at a global scale. RESPONSIBILITIES: - System Architecture & Product Definition: Translate customer requirements and mission needs into top-level RF system architectures, hardware specifications, and product features. - Customer Engagement: Serve as a primary technical interface for customers, guiding them through system integration, conducting design reviews, and matching product capabilities to their operational needs. - Link & System Modeling: Develop and maintain end-to-end communication system models, detailed link budgets, and RF lineup analyses (including cascaded noise figure, linearity, and phase noise) to optimize product performance. - Product Development Lifecycle: Drive RF systems from initial concept and prototyping through regulatory compliance testing, manufacturing scale-up, and field deployment. - Verification & Validation: Lead integrated system-level testing, validating physical-layer and product-level metrics such as EIRP, G/T, EVM, BER, and throughput under real-world conditions. - Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with RF design, DSP, embedded software, and product management teams to guide feature implementation and resolve complex system-level anomalies. - Regulatory & Compliance Support: Assist in securing regulatory approvals (ITU, FCC, etc.) by analyzing spectral compliance, co-existence, and emissions profiles. BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: - Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, or a related technical discipline. - Experience: 5+ years of experience in RF systems engineering, communication system architecture, or RF product development. - Technical Foundation: Deep understanding of RF front-end architectures, transceiver design, and digital communication theory (modulation schemes, coding, and physical layer protocols). - Analytical Tools: Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or similar scripting languages for modeling RF lineups, link budgets, and data analysis. - Lab Expertise: Hands-on experience with RF laboratory test equipment, including spectrum analyzers, vector network analyzers, and vector signal generators/analyzers. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: - Customer-Facing Success: Proven track record in a technical sales, applications engineering, or systems engineering role interfacing directly with external customers or partners. - Product Delivery: Experience bringing commercial RF or wireless communication hardware products from concept through high-volume production. - Advanced Link Analysis: Strong expertise in complex link budget modeling, propagation impairment analysis, and interference mitigation. - Signal Integrity & Metrics: Deep familiarity with physical-layer performance optimization, including EVM, BER, PAPR, and adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR). - Standards & Modems: Familiarity with satellite or terrestrial wireless standards (e.g., DVB-S2X, 3GPP/5G, CCSDS) and integrated modem architectures. - Regulatory Familiarity: Experience working with FCC/NTIA/ITU spectrum regulations and RF compliance testing standards. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: RF Systems Engineer/Level 3: $150,000 - $180,000 per year RF Systems Engineer/Level 4: $180,000 - $200,000 per year RF Systems Engineer/Level 5: $200,000 - $230,000 per year Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related knowledge, skills, education, and experience. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Northwood. You may also be eligible for equity in the form of stock options or other long-term incentives, as well as potential performance bonuses. We offer comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, generous paid time off, and various other perks and discounts. 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. Northwood is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.