Senior RF Design Engineer

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today, Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe— large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military. With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts.

Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization. Astranis has raised over $750 million from some of the world’s best investors, from Andreessen Horowitz to Blackrock and Fidelity, and employs a team of 450 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

Senior RF Design Engineer

As an RF Engineer you will be responsible for design, qualification, and procurement of active RF electronics (frequency converters, SSPAs, LNAs, PLLs, etc) in the RF front end of satellite payloads. You will work closely with other mechanical, payload systems, electrical, and software engineers to achieve overall system requirements in your designs.

Role

• Design, simulate, implement, and measure active and passive RF sub-systems at microwave frequencies, including; SSPAs, LNAs, power amplifiers, up/down converters, oscillators, filters, etc.
• Be responsible for hardware designs from requirements definition through manufacturing, bring-up, and qualification testing
• Integrate these systems into the spacecraft by working closely with the rest of the team
• Specify, procure, and integrate third party vendor hardware
• Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team

Requirements

• BS in electrical engineering, physics, applied physics, or equivalent
• Passion for hardware development, including working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on design and development
• 6+ years of experience
• Deep knowledge of fundamental RF concepts, such as RF circuit analysis, amplifier design, noise, linearity, radio architectures, etc
• Hands-on experience in designing, building, and testing RF hardware for microwave frequencies
• Proven completion of product from concept to production.
• Experience with RF simulation tools (ADS, Cadence, HFSS, etc)
• Experience with PCB design, layout and simulation (Altium or similar)

Bonus

• MS or PhD in electrical engineering, physics, applied physics, or equivalent
• Experience with system in package (SiP), multi-chip modules (MCM), packaged RF hybrids, etc
• Experience developing communications satellite payloads
• Experience designing SSPAs or implementing SSPA-based phased arrays
• Experience with designing high reliability electronics for harsh environments such as space or automotive
• Antennas and Electromagnetics propagation knowledge and background
• Experience with Software Defined Radios and associated skillset (mixed signal, high speed digital)
• Familiarity with Python or other scripting languages used for automating test instruments

What we offer: 

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

Base Salary

$170,000—$230,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and our products are meant to connect the world and everyone in it, regardless of gender, race, creed, or any other distinction. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we encourage all people to join our team and bring their unique perspective to help make us stronger.