Senior RFID Systems Engineer

Senior RFID Systems Engineer

San Diego, CA

E-commerce got real-time data infrastructure decades ago. Physical stores still have not. RADAR is changing that. RADAR is building the data infrastructure layer for the physical world, starting with retail. Our hardware-enabled SaaS platform uses proprietary overhead sensors, software, and AI-powered analytics to locate every product in a store, continuously, down to the fixture. RADAR is already deployed across 1,400+ stores with retailers including American Eagle Outfitters and Old Navy, processing tens of billions of real-world events every day, delivering 99%+ accuracy in complex, noisy environments - at fleet scale. RADAR is one of the best-funded companies in retail technology, backed by a recent Series B financing at a $1 billion valuation. Inventory accuracy is only the beginning. We believe RADAR can become foundational infrastructure for the physical economy, powering new AI-driven commerce experiences across retail and beyond. Join us if you want to work on a large, unsolved, technically challenging problem with an ambitious team building category-defining technology.

Mission-Driven: We're transforming retail with cutting-edge technology and building something that truly matters.

Collaborative Team: We thrive on curiosity, shared goals, and solving complex problems together.

High Impact: You'll make meaningful contributions from day one and help shape the future of our product and company.

Clear Communication: We value honesty, humility, and respectful dialogue—everyone's voice matters.

Balanced Lives: We work hard, but not at the expense of well-being. We respect time, boundaries, and life outside of work.

Diverse Perspectives: We believe better ideas come from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints.

Empathy-Driven Design: We build with deep respect for our end users, listening closely to their feedback and needs.

About The Job

We are currently seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join our team and assist with efforts in modeling, simulating, and improving the performance of PHY and MAC systems. In this role, you will be responsible for identifying and addressing RF, Digital and Channel impairments, collaborating closely with engineers to validate and define performance requirements, and implementing physical layer algorithms. This position demands a strong proficiency in C++ and a deep understanding of wireless communication principles, enabling you to make critical decisions on performance versus implementation complexity. Your work will directly impact the development and optimization of advanced wireless technologies, requiring both innovative thinking and rigorous analysis.

Responsibilities:

• Define, implement, and simulate physical layer algorithms.
• Identify and model system impairments in C++, validate against lab measurements.
• Simulate impact of impairments on PHY and MAC layer performance.
• Collaborate with engineers to specify system requirements.
• Analyze trade-offs between performance and implementation complexity.
• Devise and implement test strategies that adequately assess all aspects of the wireless system.
• Work with other engineers to troubleshoot and resolve issues.
• Document algorithms for Software and RTL Designers.

About You

Required:

• You have a Bachelor's degree in wireless communications and signal processing.
• You have 5+ years of experience simulating end-to-end wireless systems under various RF conditions.
• You are familiar with fixed-point design and implementation trade-offs.
• You have strong C++ programming skills.
• You have strong root-cause analysis skills.
• You are able to collaborate with people of different working styles.
• You are driven, deadline and detail oriented.

Preferred:

• You have knowledge of RFID and sensor technologies and test procedures.
• Master's or PhD in wireless communications and signal processing.

What You'll Do

In your first 30 days, you will:

• Learn Radar's mission, technology stack and core values.
• Complete onboarding and security compliance training.
• Understand the fundamentals of Radar's RFID system (RF, PHY, MAC and localization).

In your first 60 days, you will:

• Understand how to collect system performance data (lab and/or simulation).
• Take ownership for the development of a low-level performance analysis.
• Be able to compile, configure and run the C++ PHY layer simulator.

In your first 90 days, you will:

• Complete the performance analysis of a low-level PHY or MAC algorithm in Radar's automated test environment.
• Make improvements to the utility of Radar's C++ PHY layer simulator.
• Begin the development of a performance improvement initiative.

At RADAR, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. The expected base salary range for this position is $130,000 - $175,000. Individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience and relevant education or training. You will also be eligible to receive other benefits including: equity, comprehensive medical and dental coverage, life and disability benefits, 401k plan, flexible time off, and paid parental leave. The pay range listed for this position is a good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible base compensation at the time of posting.

Research has shown that women & underrepresented minorities are more likely to read lists of requirements and consider themselves unqualified if they don't meet every single one. This list represents what we're ideally looking for, but everyone has unique strengths & weaknesses, and we hire for strength & potential, not lack of weakness.

Use of artificial intelligence or a LLM such as ChatGPT during the interview process will be grounds for rejection of your application process.