Senior/Principal Radar Signal Processing Engineer (SAR Focus), Onsite

About Sandia

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at:

*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like

Are you ready to make real impact on national security through cutting-edge technology? Join Sandia¿s Advanced RF Applications team (Department 5376) as a Radar Signal Processing Engineer and contribute to the development of advanced signal detection, estimation, and processing algorithms for next-generation RF sensing, tagging, tracking, and locating systems. Our team works closely with national security sponsors across the intelligence community, special operations forces, and defense organizations to address both urgent operational needs and long-term technical challenges.

In this role, you will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of signal processing, RF, software, hardware, and systems engineers to develop and evaluate advanced RF technologies. Our systems often incorporate highly optimized Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP)-constrained receivers and transceivers, software-defined radios, GPUs, advanced antenna systems, and custom signal processing solutions. We develop primarily in C++, MATLAB, and Python while continually evaluating emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches where appropriate.

Projects range from rapid-response efforts supporting time-sensitive mission requirements to multi-year research and development programs focused on advancing the state of the art in RF sensing and signal processing.

This position provides opportunities to conduct hands-on research, algorithm development, system integration, laboratory experimentation, and field testing. Successful candidates will work directly with technical staff, project teams, and mission sponsors to develop capabilities that transition into operational use.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Develop and implement advanced digital signal processing algorithms
• Research RF sensing applications and characterize signals of interest
• Support the conceptualization, design, and development of RF systems
• Develop and evaluate signal processing approaches using modeling, simulation, laboratory experimentation, and field testing
• Analyze experimental and operational data to characterize, validate, and improve system performance
• Collaborate with hardware, software, and systems engineering teams to transition new capabilities into deployed systems
• Interact with customers, stakeholders, and mission sponsors to understand requirements and guide technical solutions

*Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite. This position entails working in a collaborative electronics laboratory environment, utilizing iterative and agile methods to develop capabilities. Additionally, it requires occasional domestic travel.


Salary Range

$117,500 - $235,700

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

Qualifications We Require

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE Q clearance and SCI clearance, which may require a polygraph.

Qualifications We Desire

The ideal R&D S&E microwave and sensor engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Laboratory skills and knowledge of RF and digital test equipment.
• Knowledge of RF, Digital Communications, Electronic Warfare, and Cyber Security systems and principles.
• Ability to work successfully in a dynamic, interdisciplinary, teaming environment.

Additionally, we are seeking individuals who demonstrate the following:

• Experience in one or more of the following technical areas, with SAR image processing expertise strongly preferred:
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image formation, image processing, image exploitation, and analysis
• Development and implementation of signal processing, image processing, and data exploitation algorithms
• Feature extraction, target detection, classification, change detection, or related analytic techniques
• Development of analysis and algorithm software using Python, C/C++, MATLAB, and/or Simulink
• Knowledge of GMTI radars and their processing techniques.
• Experience developing, implementing, validating, and improving algorithms using real-world or simulated SAR data.
• Experience working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, including hardware, software, systems, and subject matter experts, to develop and deploy advanced sensing capabilities.
• Knowledge of radar systems, RF systems, digital communications, electronic warfare systems, remote sensing technologies, or related mission-domain applications.
• Laboratory experience and proficiency with RF, digital, and signal characterization test equipment.
• Proven ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams and dynamic, interdisciplinary environments while partnering across organizations and technical disciplines.
• Desire and motivation to develop novel technical capabilities and innovative solutions to challenging national security problems.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research and development and mature concepts into impactful technical capabilities.
• Proven experience interacting effectively with internal and external customers, sponsors, collaborators, and partners.
• Demonstrated success in fast-paced environments, adapting to evolving requirements, changing priorities, and ambiguous problem sets.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize, manage, and execute multiple projects within appropriate scope, budget, and schedule constraints.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning, professional development, and technical excellence.
• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally (up to 3-4 times per year).
• Active DOE Q or DOW Top Secret security clearance and the ability to acquire and maintain an SCI clearance.

About Our Team

The Advanced Radio Frequency Applications department researches, develops, evaluates and deploys specialized RF systems for a number of national security applications including space based, airborne, and terrestrial RF communications, Command and Control (C2), remote sensing, nontraditional Electronic Counter Measures / Electronic Warfare (ECM/EW), and specialized Tagging, Tracking, and Locating (TTL) systems. Members of the department have broadly varying skills including RF/microwave circuit and system design, antenna design, digital signal processing, embedded system hardware and software, digital system design, operational field-testing development/support, and program/project management. Design challenges include highly miniaturized electronic system design, communication system architecture, ultra-low size, weight, and power (SWaP) hardware, ultra-low-noise receivers, and signal extraction/classification techniques in low Signal-to-Noise-Ratio environments. We are tightly integrated with other departments in the Advanced RF Applications business area and regularly partner across organizational boundaries internal and external to SNL, to include working closely with Government/Military partners to consistently deliver high-impact solutions to some of our nation¿s most difficult national security problems.

Posting Duration

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.


If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.