Principal RF Payload Engineer

Job ID: 2614440

Location: Chantilly, VA, US

Date Posted: 2026-07-10

Category: Engineering and Sciences

Subcategory: Systems Engineer

Schedule: Full-Time

Shift: Day Job

Travel: Yes - 10% of the time

Minimum Clearance Required: TS.SCI

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: TS/SCI with Poly

Potential for Remote Work: ORA_ON_SITE


Description


The RF Payload Engineer will support advanced space systems with a focus on RF payload development, integration, and production testing. This role contributes to the development, verification, and sustainment of RF payload hardware for space-based intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and communications missions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and execute RF payload development including architecture definition, component selection, and subsystem integration.
• Develop and implement production-level RF payload testing including functional, performance, and environmental test plans.
• Perform RF link analysis, payload signal chain validation, and troubleshooting at system and component levels.
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams on payload interfaces and mission requirements.
• Support hardware manufacturing readiness, test procedure development, and flight certification processes.
• Generate engineering documentation, test reports, technical briefings, and configuration-controlled artifacts.
• Participate in design reviews, technical interchange meetings, and customer working groups.
• Provide technical insight during vendor management and risk assessments.

Qualifications

• ?Bachelors and nine (9) years or more experience; Masters and seven (7) years or more experience.
• 8-12+ years of experience in RF payloads, RF systems, or radar payload development.
• Expertise in RF hardware design, payload architectures, and test methodologies.
• Experience with RF test equipment including VNAs, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators.
• Must have a TS/SCI, and be willing to obtain a poly.

Target salary range: $160,001 - $200,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.

SAIC is a premier technology integrator providing full life cycle services and solutions in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is Redefining Ingenuity through its deep customer and domain knowledge to enable the delivery of systems engineering and integration offerings for large, complex projects. SAIC's approximately 15,000 employees are driven by integrity and mission focus to serve customers in the U.S. federal government. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $4.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see .