Senior RF Systems Engineer Verified today

About Inversion

Inversion builds advanced reentry systems to deliver next-generation capabilities from space. The mission is to make Earth radically more accessible by turning Low-Earth Orbit into an on-demand logistics domain. Spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. Backed by Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, Inversion partners with the U.S. Space Force and NASA.

What You'll Do

As a Senior RF Systems Engineer, you will report directly to the Manager of Arc Avionics. You will own the end-to-end lifecycle of communication hardware for Inversion's next-generation reentry vehicles, taking systems from initial link analysis and component selection through to radiation pattern modeling, lab testing, and live mission-readiness validation.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain high-fidelity communication link budgets, modeling vehicle-level antenna radiation patterns and simulating RF performance in challenging flight and atmospheric reentry environments.
• Perform trade studies to evaluate, select, and qualify commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and custom RF components, including transmitters, transceivers, Power Amplifiers (PAs), Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs), and antennas.
• Lead benchtop and vehicle-level RF testing using standard laboratory equipment, bridging hardware with software by supporting live end-to-end telemetry validation.
• Establish and test ground station networks utilizing S-band and L-band frequencies to ensure robust link margins at critical elevation angles.
• Partner with software, guidance and control (GNC), power, and mechanical teams to ensure optimal antenna placement, proper thermal dissipation, and structural integrity under environmental stress.
• Lead the gathering of technical data and generating documentation required for regulatory licensing with bodies such as the FCC, ITU, and NTIA.
• Design and own RF test systems and develop comprehensive test plans to qualify hardware across space and reentry environments (thermal, vibration, shock, EMI/EMC, and radiation).

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• Typically 5+ years of professional aerospace/defense experience with direct ownership of RF hardware deployment, component qualification, or link architecture.
• Proven experience developing and analyzing RF link budgets under dynamic flight profiles.
• Foundational experience with electromagnetic simulation tools (such as Ansys HFSS) for modeling antenna characteristics or component behavior.
• Demonstrated background in the design of fault-tolerant and failover-capable RF systems.
• Proficient using common laboratory equipment such as spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, power meters, oscilloscopes, and data acquisition systems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present technical RF concepts to multidisciplinary teams.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience testing and integrating S-band and L-band telemetry or transponder systems.
• Familiarity with the unique RF propagation and signal attenuation challenges associated with hypersonic spacecraft reentry (plasma blackout).
• Strong software or scripting fluency in Python or MATLAB for processing lab data, automated test scripts, or link budget tool development.
• Knowledge of aerospace environmental qualification processes, including EMI/EMC testing, anechoic chambers, vibration, and thermal vacuum (TVAC) environments.
• Familiarity with telemetry and range safety standards (e.g., IRIG-106) and digital modulation schemes (such as SOQPSK).