Principal RF Engineer

Principal RF Engineer

A leading space technology organisation is hiring a Principal RF Engineer to take technical ownership of an operational, customer-facing RF geolocation capability. This is not a greenfield research post—the system is live today—so the focus is on deeply understanding performance limits, iterating on real-world data, and shipping measurable improvements.

You’ll work on estimating RF emitter locations using TDOA, FDOA and AoA measurements collected from a LEO satellite constellation, owning the mathematical foundations end-to-end and partnering closely with software engineers implementing production systems.

Location / Working Pattern

• UK (Glasgow area)
• Hybrid: ideally 3 days on site but this is flexible

What You’ll Be Doing

• Own and improve TDOA / FDOA / AoA geolocation algorithms from first principles through to working prototypes.
• Analyse live geolocation outputs, isolate limiting error sources, refine algorithms, validate against data, and repeat.
• Build and improve calibration approaches across timing, frequency, antenna and geometry alignment in a distributed constellation.
• Model key error sources (e.g., clock drift, ephemeris uncertainty, propagation effects, multipath, antenna calibration, receiver noise).
• Incorporate orbital mechanics / Doppler dynamics / constellation geometry into estimation models.
• Run performance analysis (bounds, Monte Carlo simulation, validation on real satellite data).
• Produce rigorous technical documentation suitable for demanding customer review.

What You’ll Need (Essential)

• MSc or PhD in EE, Physics, Applied Maths, Aerospace Engineering (or closely related), focused on estimation/signal processing (or equivalent depth of experience).
• Strong fundamentals in estimation theory, statistical signal processing, linear algebra, probability, optimisation.
• Python capability for daily prototyping, simulation, data analysis and validation.
• Confidence working with imperfect datasets (sparse truth data, incomplete calibration, real operational constraints).
• Ability to understand and improve an existing algorithmic codebase (rather than rewrite from scratch).
• Understanding of (or ability to rapidly learn) RF propagation and signal models behind TDOA/FDOA/AoA.

Nice to Have

• Direct experience with TDOA/FDOA/AoA or hybrid geolocation.
• SIGINT / EW / passive radar / GNSS signal processing background.
• Calibration routines for distributed RF systems.
• C++ literacy to review production implementations.
• Spaceborne RF, phased arrays, or LEO constellation exposure.

Additional Notes

• Access to export-controlled technology may be required (support can be provided where applicable).
• Background checking may be required as part of onboarding.