Principal RF/DSP Engineer

Job Description

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Principal RF/DSP Engineer
Leesburg, VA
\n On-Site – Monday through Friday
\n Direct Hire
\n Salary Target: $200,000 – $220,000 base + 12% performance bonus

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Our client is an aerospace and defense technology organization developing advanced RF, sensing, signal-processing, and counter-unmanned systems. The engineering team works on highly complex signal-analysis problems involving real-world RF data, direction finding, detection, classification, and mission-critical system performance.

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Job Description:
We are seeking a Principal RF/DSP Engineer to lead the analysis, development, and implementation of advanced RF signal-processing capabilities. This is a hands-on technical leadership role focused on solving difficult, often undocumented wireless signal problems from first principles. The engineer will work with real complex-IQ data, develop and validate DSP algorithms, improve direction-finding performance, and implement production-quality C++ solutions. The role also includes technical leadership of other signal-processing engineers and close collaboration with RF, FPGA, embedded, product, test, and manufacturing teams.

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Required Skills:

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  Advanced experience in RF engineering, digital signal processing, communications, radar, electronic warfare, or related signal-processing systems .

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  Strong DSP and digital communications fundamentals, including filtering, FFT/time-frequency analysis, synchronization, modulation/demodulation, detection, and estimation.

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  Experience analyzing real complex-IQ data , not only simulations or models.

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  Strong hands-on experience developing and debugging DSP algorithms.

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  Proficiency writing production-quality C++ in a Linux environment .

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  Required hands-on experience with direction finding and antenna-array signal processing , including bearing estimation, array calibration, and real-world DF error sources such as multipath, channel mismatch, and mutual coupling.

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  Ability to independently investigate unfamiliar RF signals or wireless systems and develop a validated solution from incomplete or undocumented information.

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  Experience building automated test, replay, and validation frameworks for signal-processing pipelines.

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  Ability to work closely with electrical, FPGA, embedded, product, test, and manufacturing engineers.

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  Strong technical leadership skills with the ability to review designs, mentor engineers, and unblock difficult technical problems.

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  U.S. Citizenship required.

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  Ability to work 100% onsite in Leesburg, VA, Monday through Friday .

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Bonus / Soft Skills

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  Experience with counter-UAS, electronic warfare, SIGINT, radar, telemetry, SDR, or protocol-analysis systems .

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  Experience reverse-engineering undocumented or partially documented wireless waveforms or protocols.

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  Experience with Software Defined Radios and RF laboratory equipment.

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  Exposure to frequency-hopping, spread-spectrum, OFDM, cellular, telemetry, or command-and-control systems.

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  Experience with FPGA-based DSP, fixed-point processing, or hardware/software partitioning.

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  Experience optimizing real-time C++ DSP pipelines.

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  Background in antenna-array processing, emitter geolocation, TDOA/AOA, or multi-sensor triangulation.

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  Experience designing reusable DSP libraries, frameworks, or team-wide test infrastructure.

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  Familiarity with machine learning or statistical classification applied to RF data.

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  Strong ability to operate as a senior individual contributor while elevating the technical performance of the broader team.

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Ideal Candidate Profile

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The strongest candidate will combine deep RF + DSP expertise with production C++ skills and hands-on experience analyzing imperfect, real-world signal data. Direction-finding experience is a true requirement, not just a preference. This person should be comfortable taking ownership of difficult signal problems, developing the experimental approach, building the algorithm, validating it in the lab or field, and helping other engineers improve their work.

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