As a Senior RF Electrical Engineer, you will design, test, and support RF communications systems for lunar missions, including hardware and integration tasks.
Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building, and operating a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system. We are seeking motivated, creative, and exceptional people to join our world-class team.
The Avionics team is responsible for all aspects of the electrical systems and hardware on Astrolab’s electric rover vehicles and ground support equipment. We work collaborative with all teams at Astrolab to provide exceptionally capable and reliable electronics to serve our missions.
The Avionics team is responsible for all aspects of the electrical systems and hardware on Astrolab’s electric rover vehicles and ground support equipment. We work collaborative with all teams at Astrolab to provide exceptionally capable and reliable electronics to serve our missions.
As a Sr. RF Avionics Engineer, you will be responsible for a wide scope of communications system and component design, build, test, and operations on lunar surface missions. The ideal candidate has 5+ years of experience in RF communications hardware implementation including architecture, component selection, RF circuit design and analysis, and testing.
This position will report to the Director of Avionics Engineering and will be based in our Hawthorne, CA office.
What you'll do:
- Own wireless communications systems and components from architecture to component selection, integration, test, and operations. Systems may be focused on interplanetary and local lunar communication links.
- Develop interface and functional requirements and specifications to design to in collaboration with other engineering disciplines
- Select, procure, and test RF components to ensure qualification for purpose on Astrolab’s interplanetary systems. Qualification may include environmental testing as necessary.
- Perform detailed RF component performance analysis to support end-to-end communication system requirements (e.g., EVM, gain/stability, noise figure, etc.) in addition to interdisciplinary system design (e.g., power, thermal, etc.).
- Implement communication system integration test beds including ground support equipment
- Perform end-to-end system testing including vehicle integration and ground station systems integration testing
- Develop test plans/procedures to support the execution test events
- Support vehicle mission operations to help maintain reliable communication links
- Lead design reviews and collaboration with multi-disciplinary audiences
What you'll bring:
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 5+ years of experience in RF communications system design and component-level engineering, including transceivers, amplifiers, filters, and antennas.
- Knowledge of digital communications fundamentals, including modulation schemes, spread spectrum, and forward error correction.
- Experience using RF test equipment, including vector network analyzers (VNAs), spectrum analyzers, and power meters.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with RF simulation tools such as HFSS, ADS, FEKO, or similar software.
- Experience designing hardware for high-reliability aerospace, defense, or other mission-critical applications.
- Experience with or knowledge of environmental testing, including thermal chambers and environmental test standards (e.g., SMC-S-016).
Benefits and Perks
- Join a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
- Equity ownership in the company
- Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
- 401(k) plan with company match
- Flexible PTO and parental leave
- Home office set up reimbursement
- Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
- Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks
About
Having a strong, inclusive, and inspired team is essential to accomplishing our bold mission. Employees are our biggest asset, and we are deeply committed to them and our values. At Astrolab we…Demonstrate and inspire trust. Interactions are direct, honest, and respectful. We are fair and transparent with what we do and why.Thrive in balance. Balance gives us perspective and keeps us motivated and inspired. We commit to rewarding work and a fulfilling personal life. Seek diverse perspectives. We ask questions, engage in productive debate and offer alternatives to ensure our solutions and products are robust and a reflection of our collective best.Move with purpose. Quality and reliability are accomplished through efficient ideation and iteration. We act with a sense of urgency and deliver what we promise, always with the big picture in mind.Make an impact. We intentionally move our community and industry into the future through our work, practices, and actions.
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