Senior RF Systems Engineer

Keywords: RF Engineering · Antennas · SDR and Radar · RF Measurements · System Integration · Signal Analysis and Processing Job Description: Senior RF Systems Engineer – Sensing and System Integration Role overview We are seeking a hands-on RF/SDR Systems Engineer to develop sensing systems for material classification, object detection, ranging, and tracking. The primary focus is RF engineering, antennas, measurements, and troubleshooting, supported by signal processing and system integration. The successful candidate will take ownership of existing prototypes and lead their improvement and validation. Key responsibilities 1. RF sensing and antenna integration ● Develop sensing systems using SDR platforms, compact VNAs, and radar modules. ● Select, characterise, and integrate antennas and RF components, considering bandwidth, gain, radiation patterns, polarisation, and installation constraints. ● Evaluate system architectures, link budgets, receiver sensitivity, dynamic range, and transmitter–receiver isolation. ● Implement CW, FMCW, and stepped-frequency continuous-wave (SFCW) measurement techniques. ● Resolve antenna coupling, leakage, phase instability, synchronisation issues, interference, and measurement drift. 2. Signal processing and material classification ● Develop calibration, background subtraction, filtering, range estimation, and feature-extraction methods. ● Analyse amplitude, phase, S-parameters, and frequency responses for material characterisation. ● Investigate multilayer responses and the effects of distance, geometry, and environmental conditions. ● Collect labelled datasets and support machine-learning development for material classification. 3. System integration and validation ● Integrate RF hardware with computing platforms, control electronics, and other subsystems. ● Guide and contribute to Python software for instrument control, automated measurements, live processing, and visualisation. ● Coordinate power, enclosure, thermal, and mechanical integration to maintain RF performance. ● Conduct laboratory and approved field tests to assess range, accuracy, resolution, repeatability, and false alarms. ● Evaluate components and suppliers, support procurement, and document results, limitations, and development priorities. Must-have requirements ● 5+ years of relevant hands-on RF engineering experience, including RF measurements, development of SDR, radar, or RF sensing systems. ● Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of RF engineering and antennas, including link budgets, propagation, S-parameters, and antenna performance. ● Practical experience selecting, integrating, and testing antennas and RF components. ● Hands-on experience with SDR platforms such as Ettus USRP or LimeSDR. ● Proficiency in RF measurements and calibration using VNAs and spectrum analysers. ● Ability to independently troubleshoot hardware, analyse measurement data, and validate working prototypes. ● Experience working with high-power RF amplifiers. Qualifications and complementary expertise ● Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Telecommunications, RF Engineering, or a related discipline. ● Sound understanding of digital signal processing and working proficiency in Python. ● Familiarity with SDR tools such as UHD, SoapySDR, or GNU Radio. ● Experience working across Windows/Linux and interfacing hardware through USB, UART, GPIO, or I²C. ● Clear technical communication and effective collaboration across engineering disciplines. Experience in the following areas would be an advantage: ● RF material characterisation, dielectric measurements, or inverse electromagnetic modelling. ● MIMO radar, angle estimation, and object tracking. ● RF leakage cancellation, coherent measurements, and phase calibration. ● Machine learning applied to RF data. ● Embedded firmware, power-management electronics, and compact sensing products. Show more Show less