RF Hardware Engineer
The job description
Tech stack. RF circuit design, matching networks, Smith charts, VNAs and spectrum analyzers, antenna integration, link budget analysis, EMI debugging, pre-compliance testing, filter design
About the role
You will design the wireless front ends that connect products to the world, working in the domain where theory meets the physical reality of electromagnetic fields. RF hardware engineers own everything from antenna to baseband: matching networks, filters, amplifiers, and the layout discipline that makes radios actually perform to their specifications. You will measure what you designed, tune what you measured, and ship radios that pass certification and work reliably in the messy real world of interference, detuning hands, and metal furniture. RF is the specialty where experience compounds fastest, and you will build yours on every program.
What you will achieve
- Design RF front-end circuits including matching networks, filters, LNAs, and PAs achieving target sensitivity, output power, and linearity specifications
- Deliver antenna integration with measured return loss, efficiency, and radiation patterns that meet product requirements in the final enclosure
- Pass regulatory certification including FCC, CE, and TELEC on first submission through careful pre-compliance testing and disciplined design margins
- Debug RF issues systematically: desense, harmonics, spurs, and coexistence problems, always with measurement-driven root cause analysis
- Optimize RF performance versus cost and board area through component selection and layout iteration backed by measured data
What you will bring
Must-haves
- 2 to 5 years of RF hardware design with shipped wireless products using any major standard: WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular, sub-GHz, or GNSS
- Strong RF fundamentals: S-parameters, Smith chart matching, noise figure, IP3, link budgets, and the Friis transmission equation applied in practice
- Proficiency with RF lab equipment: VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and power meters used daily and correctly
- Experience with antenna selection, integration, and measurement: return loss, efficiency testing, and radiation pattern validation
- Understanding of RF layout principles: transmission line design, grounding, shielding, and isolation techniques that actually work
- Familiarity with regulatory requirements and certification processes for intentional radiators across major markets
- BS in Electrical Engineering; RF/microwave coursework or focus strongly preferred
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with cellular front ends: duplexers, antenna tuners, SAR compliance, and carrier-specific requirements
- Familiarity with mmWave design: phased arrays, beamforming systems, or 60GHz applications
- Knowledge of RF simulation tools such as ADS, HFSS, or CST for matching networks and antenna design
- Experience with coexistence testing and mitigation strategies in dense multi-radio products
Google
Apple
NVIDIA
Tesla
Intel
AMD