RF Hardware Engineer

RF Hardware EngineerLos Angeles, CAK2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.With multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.The RoleYou will be responsible for the design and development of radiofrequency (RF) and microwave electronics to be hosted on some of the largest, most powerful, rapidly designed and rapidly manufactured satellites ever deployed in space. In your first 6 months you will architect, develop, own, test, and integrate new RF electronics for use in software defined radio (SDR) systems for satellite communications and beyond. You will work with a multidisciplinary team of antenna, field programmable gate array (FPGA), digital signal processing (DSP), software, mechanical, and electrical engineers in order to prototype your systems and refine your designs. In your first two years you will have flown your system in space and developed cutting-edge radiofrequency systems.ResponsibilitiesDesign and development of radiofrequency and microwave hardware from UHF 200 MHz through Ka band 30 GHz, including phased array antennas, low noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, filters, RF mixers, up and downconverters, high speed data converters, and other RF electronics componentsDesign printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) for spacecraft including architecture, schematic capture, component selection, layout, bring up and debuggingQualify your designs through environmental testing including vibration, shock, thermal, and thermal vacuum (TVAC) testingCollaborate closely with internal and external stakeholders to integrate your designs into the spacecraft systemQualificationsBachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering or related science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field1+ years of experience in microwave and RF engineeringExperience designing multilayer PCBAs and integrating commercial off-the-shelf integrated circuits for RF applications in Altium or similar PCB design toolsExperience with RF circuit modeling and analysis software tools such as Cadence AWR Microwave Office and Keysight ADSExperience with RF test equipment such as vector network analyzers (VNA), spectrum analyzer, etc.Ability to work in a fast-paced and high velocity start-up atmosphereNice to HaveExperience with component selection for use in space radiation environments and flying hardware in spaceExperience with antenna and electromagnetic modeling and analysis software tools such as Ansys Electronics Desktop HFSS and Altair FEKOExperience with FPGA design, implementation, verification, and validation for RF applicationsExperience with software defined radio hardware development including high speed RF data converters (digital to analog and analog to digital converters), clock trees, and data converter interfacesExperience with phased arrays and digital beamformingExperience with signal intelligence (SIGINT), electronic warfare (EW), and/or satellite telecommunicationsKnowledge of RF digital communications and digital signal processing (DSP) concepts such as spread spectrum, forward error correction, and modulation types such as BPSK, QAM, etcCompensation and Benefits:Base salary range for this role is $115,000 - $200,000 + equity in the companySalary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience levelComprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perksIf you don't meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.Export Compliance: As defined in the ITAR, "U.S. Persons" include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a "U.S. Person."The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a "U.S. person" as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.Equal Opportunity: K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.