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Ground RF Hardware Engineer

Impulse Space

Impulse Space

Other Engineering
USD 130k-170k / year + Equity
Posted on Oct 16, 2025
Apply now
As Ground RF Hardware Engineer, your core responsibility will be to own Impulse’s ground RF hardware strategies. You will own the design, installation, bringup, and operation of ground station hardware, manage ground components of link budgets, and work with third party vendors to ensure compatibility with Impulse spacecraft radios. You’ll work with RF hardware and software engineers, test engineers, mechanical and facilities engineers, and others to meet RF ground needs across multiple missions and spacecraft. You will work on uplink and downlink hardware up to 32GHz, passive RF components, and site analysis for desense and coexistence.
Department
Avionics
Employment Type
Full Time
Location
Redondo Beach
Workplace type
Onsite
Compensation
$130,000 - $170,000 / year
Reporting To
Jake Messner

Responsibilities

  • Own ground segment elements of Impulse’s link budgets
  • Work with third party ground stations to determine Impulse’s hardware needs, perform RF compatibility testing, and monitor site performance over missions
  • Work with spacecraft operations team to specify needs for Impulse ground networks
  • Conduct RF site survey of prospective ground locations
  • Work with RF and avionics engineers to test ground hardware RF and power components
  • Work onsite at ground station locations to install, bring up, and test end to end ground chains including RF hardware, baseband components, power systems, and mechanical infrastructure. Own bringup of site from initial planning through commissioning.
  • Update hardware and provide troubleshooting support as needed at existing Impulse ground station locations
  • Own the design and operation of ground station emulators in Impulse’s hardware-in-the-loop setups
  • Own ground segment elements of Impulse’s link budgets and provide inputs to legal and mission management teams for mission licensing
  • Perform link budget analysis to evaluate impact of environment (atmospheric attenuation, cloud attenuation, rain fade) on station and network availability for high frequency link
  • Assist with antenna range testing for feed hardware and spacecraft antennas
  • Conduct facilities-related design – own equipment shelter and rack layout, specify ground power systems and network backhaul, and manage installation vendors
  • Evaluate COTS vs. custom RF hardware for ground station system design

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related technical field
  • At least 4+ years working in RF test and measurement in a lab or field setting
  • Experience using RF test devices including spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, power meters, noise figure meters, and signal generators
  • Working knowledge of link budget concepts (EIRP, G/T, C/N0, Es/N0, BER)
  • Hands-on bring up experience of RF chains including antennas, antenna feeds, RF front end, and baseband/modem
  • Ability to plan and execute RF compatibility tests with a provided ground station hardware and software infrastructure
  • Willing to do on-site work at ground sites and travel as necessary
  • Familiarity with RF and power safety procedures
  • Strong understanding of RF system parameters such as channel power, EVM, modulation, and bandwidth

Preferred Skills and Experience

  • Master's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering or related technical field
  • Experience analyzing link budget impairments such as atmospheric attenuation, rain fade, pointing and polarization loss
  • Familiarity working with embedded Linux
  • Scripting skills in Python, MATLAB, or LabVIEW
  • Experience with common RF protocols like SRS4, DVBS-II, and CCSDS
  • Experience with GNU radio flowgraph development and troubleshooting
  • Familiarity with satellite spectrum licensing laws, agencies, and standards
  • Experience testing RF devices for regulatory compliance
  • Experience in a startup or agile development environment

Additional Information:

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

About Impulse Space

Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.

Our Hiring Process

Stage 1:

Application Received

Stage 2:

Resume Review

Stage 3:

Intro Phone Interview

Stage 4:

Technical Phone Interview(s)

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