RF Hardware Engineer

Job Title

RF Hardware Engineer

Role Summary

As a Radio Systems / RF Hardware Engineer you will design, develop, and integrate RF front ends, digital processing hardware, and embedded components for custom radio systems supporting national security missions. Work spans architecture, circuit and PCB design, FPGA integration, board bring-up, laboratory characterization, and system troubleshooting.

Position is full-time at Aberdeen Proving Ground and requires an active TS/SCI clearance. Travel up to 25% may be required.

Experience Level

Mid-level. Specific years of experience are not stated; the role expects demonstrated hands-on experience with RF, PCB, and FPGA hardware development.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include:

• Lead design, development, and integration of custom radio and RF hardware across RF, digital, FPGA, and embedded domains.
• Create and select architecture, components, and PCBs; perform board bring-up and integration.
• Develop and integrate FPGA logic and embedded processor interfaces.
• Perform RF characterization and lab testing using oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, VNAs, signal generators, and logic analyzers.
• Troubleshoot systems at component, board, and system levels and rapidly prototype solutions.
• Collaborate with software, FPGA, cybersecurity, and systems teams to mature capabilities for operational environments.

Requirements

Must-have:

• Active TS/SCI security clearance.
• Experience designing, developing, integrating, or troubleshooting RF communication systems or radio hardware.
• Strong understanding of RF fundamentals: signal chains, filtering, amplification, frequency conversion, impedance matching, noise, and link budgets.
• Analog and digital circuit design and PCB-level hardware development experience.
• Experience with FPGAs and hardware description languages (Verilog, SystemVerilog, or VHDL).
• Experience integrating embedded processors, FPGAs, RF transceivers, ADCs/DACs, or similar devices.
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink, Python, C/C++, or embedded Linux.
• Hands-on use of RF and electronics test equipment (oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, VNAs, signal generators, logic analyzers).
• Ability to troubleshoot hardware across component, board, and system levels.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience designing radios or RF transceivers at the board/component level.
• Experience with software-defined radios, RF transceiver ICs, PLLs, mixers, LNAs, PAs, and filters.
• Implementing DSP in FPGA logic (filtering, FFTs, modulation/demodulation, digital up/down conversion).
• RF/mixed-signal PCB design, controlled impedance, grounding, shielding, signal integrity, EMI/EMC considerations.
• Experience with RFSoC/SoC FPGA, high-speed ADC/DAC interfaces, communications, EW, SIGINT, radar, or unmanned systems.
• Rapid prototyping and debugging of custom RF or embedded hardware.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant practical experience. No additional certifications were specified.

About the Company

Company: CACI International

Headquarters: Arlington, VA, United States

Provides information solutions and services to U.S. government and commercial customers, specializing in intelligence, defense, cybersecurity, enterprise IT, and engineering to support national security, federal civilian agencies, and mission-focused technology programs.