Senior RF Design Engineer San Francisco

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 $1B 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 $750M from some of the world’s best investors and employs a team of 450 engineers.

Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

RF Engineer role

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 mechanical, payload systems, electrical, and software engineers to achieve overall system requirements in your designs.

Responsibilities

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 for 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 designing SSPAs or implementing SSPA‑based phased arrays.

Experience 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 a single component of Astranis’s total rewards package, which may also include equity in the form of incentive stock options; high‑quality company‑subsidized healthcare, disability, and life insurance benefits; flexible PTO; 401(k) retirement; 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.

$150,000 – $225,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship or Eligibility 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)).

Equal Employment Opportunity

As set forth in Astranis’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor and must provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We are legally required to assess eligibility for qualified individuals with disabilities during the application process.

#J-18808-Ljbffr