RF Integration & Test Engineer

$115,000 - $150,000/Yr

Astranis Space Technologies - San Francisco, CA

Full-time - Mid Level

San Francisco, CA

251-500 employees

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

As a payload-focused electrical integration engineer at Astranis, you will be responsible for developing, designing, and implementing tests and test systems for custom Radio Frequency (RF) communications electronics on satellites. This role involves collaborating with RF and electrical design teams to ensure the RF hardware designs function correctly across various environments, ultimately contributing to the success of satellite missions aimed at bridging the digital divide.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain automation software in Python that interacts with RF test equipment and flight RF hardware.
• Responsible for the development, execution, and documentation of system verification tests on flight and flight-representative satellite communications hardware.
• Develop electrical test plans and procedures based on concepts and designs to verify as-built flight hardware and spacecraft.
• Design and build electrical ground support equipment (EGSE) for testing.
• Incorporate tests into reusable automated test architectures.
• Evaluate non-conformances to determine root cause, create actionable items, and system improvements.
• Collaborate with engineers from many disciplines to optimize proposed designs for integration, testing, and manufacturability.
• Create, maintain and communicate detailed schedules, ensuring the team is aware of tasks and deadlines, including resource identification and acquisition.
• Design and create representative RF hardware testbeds and simulators to support software development and system validation.
• Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and training additional teammates.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
• Experience taking measurements on RF and mixed signal devices with standard test equipment: signal generators, spectrum analyzers, Vector Network Analyzers (VNA's), power sensors, RF switches, attenuators, filters, and oscilloscopes.
• 2+ years of professional experience in system-level design and testing of electrical hardware systems.
• Strong electrical systems engineering intuition and critical thinking.
• Hands-on experience using electrical test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, etc.).
• Ability to accurately estimate complexity and duration of testing.
• Experience developing test plans and test procedures from requirements.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication skills.
• Strong sense of accountability, integrity, and team focus with extensive multitasking and organizational experience.

Nice-to-haves

• Master's or PhD in an engineering discipline.
• Experience with Python or other high-level scripting languages.
• Experience with low-level software development languages.
• Experience calibrating RF testing equipment.
• Software development experience with Hardware Test Framework (HTF) or similar.
• Familiarity with qualification of RF hardware for space: environmental testing such as vibration, shock, thermal, burn-in, and TVAC.
• Previous experience delivering a hardware system or sub-system through the engineering lifecycle.
• Experience automating tests, test equipment, and measurement techniques.
• Experience with designing and building electrical harnesses and connectors.

Benefits

• Base pay ranging from $115,000 to $150,000 USD.
• Equity in the form of incentive stock options.
• High-quality company-subsidized healthcare.
• Disability and life insurance benefits.
• Flexible PTO.
• 401(K) retirement plan.
• Free on-site catered meals.