RF Avionics Systems Engineer

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The Role

You will be responsible for the component management, system integration and operation of radiofrequency (RF) electronics across some of the biggest, most powerful, rapidly designed and rapidly manufactured satellites ever deployed in space. In your first 6 months you will develop, design, own, test, and integrate new RF and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), including radios, antennas, and other hardware. You will work with a team of fellow RF, FPGA, software, mechanical, and electrical engineers in order to develop your RF systems and execute environmental and performance testing to refine your designs.

In your first year, you will have flown your RF systems in space and downlinked critical mission and payload data. Following this, you will enhance system reliability and begin designing even more capable RF systems for future generations of large and powerful spacecraft.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all technical and programmatic aspects of the RF systems that fly on the satellite, including but not limited to telemetry, command, and GNSS radios, antennas, and link budgets from UHF through Ka-band
• Serve as responsible engineer for flight hardware from design through integration and operations on orbit
• Own acceptance and qualification screening of your hardware design(s) through environmental testing such as vibration, shock, thermal, and thermal vacuum testing
• Work with internal (mechanical, electrical, integration, test, and software engineers) and external (vendors) stakeholders to integrate your designs into the spacecraft systems and operate your hardware in flight
• Own FCC licensing and ground segment compatibility testing and coordination
• Lead vehicle integration and testing efforts to ensure hardware reliability and deconfliction with payload customers

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field
• 1+ years of experience in microwave / RF engineering
• Fundamental RF knowledge including familiarity with crafting RF link budgets and doing antenna placement planning
• Familiarity with Python or MATLAB
• Experience with RF test equipment such as vector network analyzers (VNA), spectrum analyzer, etc.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and high velocity start-up atmosphere

Nice to Have

• Experience with flying hardware in space and creating/maintaining link budgets
• End to end testing with flight hardware, software, and ground station providers
• Experience with environmental testing for space electronics such as thermal, vibration, TVAC, radiation, and EMI/EMC testing per standards such as SMC-S-016
• Experience with RF modeling and analysis software tools such as Ansys Electronics Desktop HFSS, Altair FEKO, Keysight ADS, Cadence AWR Microwave Office
• Familiar with software defined radio development including data converters (digital to analog and analog to digital converters), clock trees, data converter interfaces, and sampling concepts
• Familiarity with digital communications systems & theory, including spread spectrum, forward error correction, and modulation types such as BPSK, QAM, etc.
• Ability to research novel solutions for unique large-scale satellite RF systems including but not limited to satellite communications and electronic warfare

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base salary range for this role is $100,000 - $150,000 + equity in the company
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks