2026 Graduate - RF Engineer - Spaceflight Missions

Description Do you want to become an expert in Engineering RF electronics, sensors, and systems for space? Are you passionate about space exploration and ensuring our nation’s security? If you are graduating with a Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Electrical and/or Computer Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent, we would love to have you join our RF Engineering team! We are seeking an RF Engineer ready to take on new challenges with us as we develop RF systems and components for spaceflight missions. You will join a team of multi‑disciplinary staff who develop, integrate, test, launch, and operate complex RF systems and the electronic building blocks that enable them. We provide our sponsors with world‑class performance, cost‑effective and often first‑of‑their‑kind RF systems operating reliably in extremely harsh space environments. As an RF Engineer you will: Design, develop, integrate and test flight RF hardware operating at UHF through Ka‑band, including software defined radios, antennas, solid‑state power amplifiers and ultra‑stable oscillators. Perform analysis of electromagnetic wave propagation, scattering, multipactor and corona effects. Support a wide set of terrestrial and space‑based communications, radio‑navigation, radio‑metric, and remote sensing applications with novel and computationally efficient digital signal processing algorithms and environmentally robust hardware. Work with mission‑level systems engineers to establish communications requirements for a mission, design and build a telecommunications subsystem that meets these requirements, integrate the subsystem onto the spacecraft, and help launch and operate the mission. Qualifications You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you... Have a Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical and/or Computer Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent. Have a passion for RF design, signal processing, communications, and wireless systems. Are willing and able to travel occasionally to sponsor and contractor sites. Are able to obtain an interim Top Secret security clearance by the start date and ultimately obtain a final Top Secret clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship. You will go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you... Have experience working with RF design software and test equipment. Have an active Secret or Top Secret security clearance. Benefits Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore‑Washington metro area. Minimum Rate $85,000 Annually Maximum Rate $165,000 Annually EEO Statement All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io. Additional Information Learn more about our career opportunities at #J-18808-Ljbffr Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab