Senior Communications Systems Engineer

Senior Communications Systems EngineerEl Segundo, California, United StatesCHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London.Role OverviewAs a Communications Systems Engineer, you will own the connectivity backbone of CHAOS's fielded systems—5G/cellular, SATCOM (e.g. Starlink), point-to-point wireless, and tactical mesh radios. You will bring rigorous systems engineering practice to the comms domain: verifiable requirements with traceability, defined architectures and interfaces, disciplined trade studies, and verification from factory test through field deployment. Your mission is to ensure every communications solution is selected, qualified, validated, and ready for field deployment.You will also keep CHAOS ahead of the pace of commercial and tactical comms innovation, continuously scanning the landscape for emerging technologies—new radios, waveforms, multi-orbit SATCOM constellations, and software-defined networking approaches—and driving the most promising into the product baseline. This role is full-time onsite at our office in Hawthorne, CA.ResponsibilitiesSystems EngineeringTranslate mission, customer, and business needs into verifiable, traceable system and subsystem requirements for connectivityDevelop and maintain connectivity architectures, interfaces, design descriptions, and ICDs across cellular/5G, SATCOM (LEO/MEO/GEO), point-to-point wireless, and tactical mesh networksPerform design analysis and verification—RF link budgets, key performance parameters (EIRP, G/T, C/N?, Eb/N?, throughput), antenna placement and pointing, handover behavior, and regulatory complianceLead trade studies weighing performance, size/weight/power, cost, availability, and compliance—including forward-looking needs such as non-line-of-sight links, elevated relays, and GPS-denied synchronizationHardware Selection & QualificationEvaluate, select, and qualify comms hardware (cell modems, SATCOM terminals, P2P dishes, mesh radios) for field robustness and regional compatibility—verifying RF bands, regulatory suitability, and export/AT compliance before purchase or baseline, and managing regional variants in the product BOMCollaborate with suppliers, satellite operators, and service providers to develop and integrate connectivity solutionsIntegration & TestIntegrate comms equipment into factory test plans with clear pass/fail criteria, and establish pre-ship verification on representative system hardware with in-country SIMs and bandsSupport system integration, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis from lab through field deployment—driving corrective actions into the baseline; participate in technical reviews and embed with product scrums to verify baseline compatibilityDeployment & Field SupportOwn the tested connectivity matrix across deployment countries (cellular bands, SATCOM legality and plans, spectrum constraints, validated fallbacks) along with configuration baselines and runbooks for all comms peripherals, in partnership with FDE, Mission, and ITProvide reach-back support to deployed teams during international demos and operations, with occasional travel to deployment sitesMinimum RequirementsBachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical discipline7+ years of experience in systems engineering supporting SATCOM, wireless communications, tactical networking, or connectivity productsExperience developing, managing, and verifying system, subsystem, and interface requirements throughout the product lifecycleWorking knowledge of SATCOM and RF communications systems, including satellite link analysis, antenna systems, and modem/RF chain fundamentalsWorking knowledge of cellular technologies and international band plans (LTE/5G NR), and practical experience with satellite internet terminals (e.g., Starlink)Strong understanding of IP networking concepts, including routing, switching, network protocols, VPNs, failover, and connectivity architecturesExperience performing RF link budget analysis, antenna placement optimization, and line-of-sight/NLOS analysis in complex terrainExperience developing hardware test procedures and pass/fail criteria for production or integration environmentsExperience collaborating with customers, suppliers, and cross-functional engineering teams on complex technical programsExcellent problem-solving skills and a bias toward root cause over workaroundPreferred RequirementsMaster's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical disciplineExperience with tactical mesh radios (e.g., MPU5/Wave Relay) and 60 GHz / 5 GHz P2P systemsFamiliarity with multi-orbit constellations (LEO/MEO/GEO), beam/satellite handover, and ground network integrationExperience designing or integrating secure communications architectures, including authentication, encryption, VPNs, certificate management, and secure remote connectivityExperience analyzing communications performance in contested, degraded, or denied environments, including multi-path, interference, jamming, and dynamic network topologyExperience with requirements management, Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), and/or Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools such as Cameo, including multi-level requirements sets and traceabilityFamiliarity with export control and supply-chain compliance considerations for communications hardware (e.g., country-of-origin restrictions)Scripting for test automation and network validation (Python, Bash)INCOSE certification or demonstrated application of systems engineering best practicesExperience in a rapid-iteration hardware production environmentExperience supporting international deployments of communications equipment, including regional regulatory and spectrum considerationsActive or eligible U.S. security clearanceWhy CHAOS?Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the companyAdditional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and moreOur Perks: Free daily lunch, 'No meeting Fridays', unlimited PTO, casual dress codeCompensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonusesTeam Growth: 350 employees and counting across 5 global offices$140k-176kThe stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.