Tactical Communications Engineer

About the role

You will join a defense technology company building the radios and waveforms that keep dispersed forces connected when the spectrum is contested and the terrain is unkind. The tactical communications team works from the antenna to the application layer, designing links that survive jamming, fading, and mobility, and networks that heal themselves as nodes move. Your waveforms and network designs decide whether a message gets through when it matters most, and your field measurements prove the link budgets you promised. You will also design the over-the-air test campaigns that validate waveforms in real contested spectrum, since lab results never fully predict performance under jamming.

What you will achieve

• Design and validate a MANET waveform that sustains multi-hop connectivity for a 50-node mobile network with sub-second convergence after topology changes.
• Deliver link budgets for line-of-sight and SATCOM paths that predict measured performance within 3 dB across field trials.
• Implement low probability of intercept and detection techniques that cut an adversary's detection range by half while holding throughput.
• Bring up software-defined radio implementations from simulation to over-the-air testing, closing the gap between modeled and measured bit error rates.
• Diagnose field issues with protocol captures and spectrum measurements, resolving the top three link reliability problems in a deployment.

What you will bring

Must-haves

• You bring 2 to 5 years of experience in tactical communications, RF systems, or wireless networking.
• You understand waveforms deeply: modulation, coding, spreading, and multiple access, and how each behaves in fading and interference.
• You have hands-on experience with software-defined radios, from baseband processing to RF bring-up.
• You can build link budgets and explain every term, from antenna gain to implementation loss.
• You are comfortable with networking fundamentals: IP, routing, and QoS as they apply to tactical networks.
• You troubleshoot methodically with spectrum analyzers, protocol captures, and field measurements.
• You have integrated communications subsystems with host platforms, resolving EMC, antenna placement, and power constraints.

Nice-to-haves

• You have worked with SATCOM terminals, modems, or link planning.
• You bring experience with COMSEC or TRANSEC integration in radio systems.
• You have supported field exercises or operational communications testing.
• You are eligible for a U.S. security clearance.
• You bring experience with directional antennas or beam-steered arrays for tactical links.