RF Engineer II (Microwave Hardware Design)

About the role

Shield AI, a defense-tech company building intelligent autonomous systems, is hiring an RF and Microwave Hardware Design Engineer for its X-BAT Engineering team, which is developing a next-generation autonomous aircraft. The role focuses on hands-on design of compact, high-performance RF modules for airborne and ground systems, covering active and passive circuits, PCB assemblies, packaging interfaces, lab verification and production transition. It may be filled at Engineer II (L2) or Senior Engineer (L3) level.

Key responsibilities

• Design RF and microwave modules from requirements through schematic capture, component selection, layout, bring-up, verification, qualification and production release.
• Design active and passive RF circuits such as LNAs, PAs, filters, multiplexers, switches, limiters, couplers, attenuators, power detectors and frequency-conversion stages.
• Develop RF front-end assemblies meeting gain, noise figure, output power, linearity, stability, isolation and emission requirements.
• Perform circuit and electromagnetic analysis with tools such as Keysight ADS, Cadence AWR, HFSS or CST, correlating models with measured hardware.
• Create and review RF and mixed-signal PCB designs, including controlled-impedance routing, grounding, shielding, stack-up and power distribution.
• Plan and run lab characterization with network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, noise-figure analyzers, power meters, oscilloscopes and automated test equipment.
• Diagnose hardware issues such as instability, oscillation, intermodulation, desense, thermal drift and mismatch.
• Work with mechanical, thermal, avionics, communications, antenna, manufacturing and test engineers within size, weight, power, cooling and environmental constraints.
• Develop verification methods, test strategies, calibration approaches and technical documentation, and support qualification, supplier engagement, ground and flight testing.
• Take part in design reviews, share knowledge and mentor interns and junior engineers.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Typically 1+ year of post-undergraduate experience for L2, or 2+ years for L3; demonstrated capability matters more than years.
• Hands-on experience designing, building or debugging an RF/microwave circuit, module or PCB assembly through measured verification.
• Ability to work on-site in a laboratory and hardware-development environment.

Required skills

• Solid understanding of S-parameters, impedance matching, transmission lines, stability, gain, noise figure, linearity, isolation and cascaded RF performance.
• Experience with RF PCB layouts, controlled impedance, grounding, shielding and signal integrity.
• Proficiency with RF laboratory instruments and calibration methods.
• Preferred: RF front-end experience for airborne, defense, space or robotics systems; GaN/GaAs PA/MMIC experience; Altium Designer and ADS/AWR/HFSS/CST; EMI/EMC qualification; Python or MATLAB tooling; security clearance eligibility.