Job Description
Principal Engineer - RF Microwave Design/FPGA - Top Secret clearance at Northrop Grumman summary:
The Principal Engineer specializes in designing RF microwave subsystems and FPGA-based software-defined radios for satellite communications with top secret security clearance. They develop and verify RF system requirements, perform RF analyses, and support integration and testing across the product lifecycle. The role involves customer interaction, team leadership, and compliance with NSA design processes in a fast-paced, high-security aerospace environment.
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time
Description
At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.
We have openings for a RF Microwave Design/FPGA Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals in the Tactical Space organization. The position will be located in Dulles, VA .
The candidate will work as an engineer designing RF subsystems and components for satellite communications applications. The candidate will define and design robust RF solutions while working within system constraints on mass, power, and volume. The successful candidate will have strong technical skills coupled with the ability to operate within a fast-paced environment both independently and as part of a team. Candidate must be well organized and able to keep track of and make progress on multiple simultaneous tasks. In particular, the candidate will be expected to perform tasks such as:
- Develop pseudo-code architectures and write FPGA code to implement Software Defined Radio (SDR) software, and firmware.
- Define RF system requirements in collaboration with customer, ensuring clear functional and performance goals. Derive RF component specifications based on system needs.
- Preparation and presentation of design reviews for internal and external customers.
- Requirements verification based on customer’s top-level requirements compared to subcontractor and prime contractor actual implementation. The candidate will be able to concisely summarize findings and present them to the end customer.
- Support integration and test including unit-level functional and environmental testing, spacecraft level testing, and in-orbit checkout. (Some travel and occasional short-term shift work required)
- Design and analysis of communications systems for satellite and interplanetary applications. The candidate must be familiar with RF analyses such as link budgets, digital modulation/coding, gain/loss budgets, noise figure, etc.
Basic Qualifications:
- Active Top Secret security clearance at the time of application with SCI eligibility.
- Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering (or related field) with 5 years of applicable experience with a good understanding of microwave theory, satellite communications, radio-wave propagation, electromagnetics, antennas, or optical communications OR a Master's degree with 3 years experience
- Good oral presentation skills and comfort with customer interaction. Ability to write technical documents clearly and concisely.
- Experience with one or more of the following FPGA chipsets: XilinX Versal, ProASIC, RTAX, RTG4, Ultrascale, Ultrascale+
- FPGA design and development for SDRs (interface and system design including DSP, FEC, various waveforms, precision time systems and experience with NSA process and design rules)
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with analog design of various circuits such as Opamps, regulators, feedback loops, power supply, etc.
- Experience with RF circuit card design of software defined Radios
- Channelization/digital processor design
- Communications Digital Signal Processing / waveform development
- Developing, debugging, testing/verifying, and documenting SDR hardware components and features
- Experience with entire product development life cycle (cradle to grave)
- Architecting communications systems and components/SDRs (HW, SW, FW, scripting) through design and test
- Experience leading small engineering teams in development or production of RF systems, including cost and schedule
- Experience with cost account management for engineering portion of multi-year program, including cost and labor hour estimating, task scheduling and earned value tracking
- Hands on experience with RF test equipment such as spectrum analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, arbitrary waveform generators, etc.
- Experience with performing RF analysis and trade studies to meet RF performance parameters including (Gain, noise figure, Intercept point, stability, power consumption, etc).
- Knowledge of digital waveforms such as WCDMA, BPSK, QPSK, and DVB-SX.
Salary Range: $110,300.00 - $165,500.00
The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.
Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.
The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.
Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.
Keywords:
RF Microwave Design, FPGA Development, Software Defined Radio, Satellite Communications, Top Secret Clearance, RF System Analysis, Digital Signal Processing, Electromagnetics, Spectrum Analyzers, Aerospace Engineering
Job Tags
Contract work, Temporary work, For contractors, For subcontractor, Casual work, Relocation package, Shift work,