Director - RF Hardware Engineering

Important pre-read:

This job description will take ~15 minutes to read and ~15 minutes to apply. You increase your chances of selection by 10x if you read this to the end, slowly. Trust us on this.

What is Armory?

What we are building requires hard work, tenacity, ownership, creativity and way more man-hours than an everyday job.

If you are a savant at what you do, love autonomy, have high agency and genuinely want to impact the future of this country, we want you to work with us starting yesterday!

Modern conflicts waged remotely demand a radical rethinking of strategy as adversaries deploy inexpensive drones and technology to inflict maximum damage with minimal risk.

If you prefer routine over the dynamic unpredictability of innovation, Armory isn't for you. Our fast-paced environment requires genuine curiosity, resilience, a passion for continuous learning, and comfort with rapid change.

Armory is a new age defence tech startup building next-generation products to strengthen Indian forces in the modern battlefields.

About the founder

Amardeep Singh is an IIT Bombay alumnus & an aerospace engineer by education. He was a founding member of ideaForge - currently India’s biggest drone company & the first drone company to get listed on the Indian stock exchange.

His 16-year entrepreneurial journey is marked by a series of ambitious ventures spanning across diverse tech domains like Drones, Consumer Hardware, B2B SaaS & AI.

Problems we solve

Our country’s defence systems, conceived in a bygone era, have been outpaced by the rapid advancements in technology, revealing critical gaps that we, at Armory, are poised to bridge.

At Armory, we identify and solve the most critical, complex & specific challenges in modern warfare. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and diving deep into specific problems, we create innovative defence technologies and products that protect our nation and allies.

Why you should NOT join us:

If high stakes, tight deadlines, and significant challenges don't excite you, then our mission to revolutionise defence technology might not align with your career goals. We seek individuals who are ready to push boundaries and are motivated by the urgency of now.

Why you SHOULD join us:

We offer the opportunity to work on groundbreaking projects that strengthen national defence, supported by a team of A players.

Join Armory if you're drawn to solving hard problems and want to create a meaningful & profound impact to the national security.

At Armory, you will do the best work of your life. Period.

Requirements

About this role

You will own the RF engineering function at Armory. This is a hands-on leadership role: you will set the RF technical vision, build and lead a team of RF engineers, and personally stay close to the hardware. You will be accountable for taking RF systems from architecture to fielded product.

• Define and own the RF architecture and technical roadmap across our product lines, including radar, sensing, communications, and counter-UAS systems.
• Lead the design and development of RF hardware from scratch (0→1), including transmitters, receivers, PAs, LNAs, filters, RF front-end modules, and phased-array antenna systems.
• Drive system-level trade-offs across performance, power, size, cost, reliability, and manufacturability, and make the final call on RF specifications and component selection.
• Build, mentor, and scale the RF team: hire top talent, set the technical bar, and grow future technical leads.
• Own the full RF product lifecycle: architecture → schematic → PCB → fabrication → bring-up → test and validation → production handoff.
• Establish RF design, simulation, test, and review processes, including design reviews, test benches, and characterization practices that let the team move fast without cutting corners.
• Partner with systems, embedded, firmware, antenna, mechanical, supply chain, and manufacturing leads to integrate RF hardware into products.
• Stay hands-on where it matters: debug critical issues, review designs, and get on the bench with VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and oscilloscopes.
• Work with the founders and leadership team to shape the product roadmap, set timelines, and manage RF technical risk.
• Evaluate and manage vendors, foundries, and component suppliers for RF-critical parts.

Must haves

• 15+ years of proven experience in RF hardware design and development, with at least 5 years leading teams or programs
• A track record of taking RF products from concept to production, not just prototypes
• Deep understanding of RF theory, principles, and techniques
• Proficiency in RF design and simulation tools such as ADS, HFSS, or CST
• Hands-on experience with RF test equipment, including network analyzers and spectrum analyzers
• Experience with phased-array systems and RF front-end design
• Ability to hire, mentor, and retain strong engineers
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills
• Strong communication and collaboration abilities, from the bench to the boardroom

Bonus points for

• Experience designing and developing radar systems
• Knowledge of radar architectures, including pulsed, continuous wave (CW), and frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radars
• Understanding of antenna design principles for radar applications
• Familiarity with radar performance metrics, such as range resolution, Doppler resolution, and sensitivity
• Experience in defence, aerospace, or other high-reliability environments, including qualification and environmental testing
• Experience building an RF function from the ground up in a startup or high-growth setting

What will make you successful in this role?

• Deep technical expertise in RF theory and practice, and the credibility that comes with it
• Building a team and assembling an RF system in record time
• Making clear decisions with incomplete information
• Getting s**t done

How will we set you up for success in this role?

• A live project: You will jump straight into live programs as soon as you join. No dummy or test projects.
• State-of-the-art tools and technologies: You will have access to the latest RF simulation and design software, along with advanced testing and measurement equipment.
• Real ownership: You will have the mandate and the budget to build the function the way you believe it should be built.
• Access to resources: You name it, we will do everything to get it for you.
• Direct access to leadership: You will work closely with the founders and the CTO on what we build next.
• Supportive team: You will be surrounded by the best minds ready to help you.

Our Hiring Process

We target to close the hiring process within 14 days of your application.

Round 1: Screening Application

• Duration: At your own pace, but if it takes you less than 15 minutes to apply, you are unlikely to move to the next round.
• How to ace: Do not copy-paste your answers from a website or ChatGPT. Be specific in your answers. It’s about you.
• Codeword: Use RFLEADS in the application form where it asks you for Codeword. This way we know you have read the JD :)

Round 2: Introduction round

• Duration: 1 hour
• How to ace: Be yourself. We want to know YOU, not some ideal unrealistic person. Demonstrate your expertise in the area we are evaluating. Ask good questions.

Round 3: Culture Fitment

• Duration: 1 hour
• How to ace: Help us understand your goals and aspirations. Share some of the stories that have made you what you are, including how you have built and led teams. Ask good questions.

Round 4: Technical Interview

• Duration: 1 hour
• How to ace: Show curiosity. Walk us through an RF system you architected end to end, including what went wrong. Mention your unconventional projects, interests and more.

Round 5: Leadership Conversation

• Duration: 1 hour
• How to ace: Tell us how you would build and run RF engineering at Armory in your first 12 months. Be opinionated. Ask good questions.

Offer Stage

Congratulations! You are now a part of Armory. You will build something that lets you sleep at night with a feeling you did something meaningful. Buckle up for a ride into the future.

Work Location

Armory highly values having employees working in-office. We are establishing a collaborative work environment and company culture, and that simply does not happen from home. We are based out of Gurgaon and require employees to be in office.

Benefits

What we expect from you

• Genuine curiosity
• Founder’s mindset
• First principles thinking
• Execution, not just ideas
• Bias for action
• High energy
• High agency
• Highest level of integrity
• Getting your hands dirty
• Audacious state of mind

What to expect from us

• Team of A players
• Work directly with the founder
• Ridiculous levels of responsibility
• Fast & decisive approach
• Work on hard problems

What your first 3 months at Armory will look like

30 Days

• Complete onboarding, learn our mission and values, and meet the founder, the CTO, and your cross-functional counterparts.
• Audit the current state of RF: live projects, tools, equipment, vendors, and open technical risks.
• Meet every RF engineer one-on-one and form a view of the team’s strengths and gaps.
• Own the RF system specs for the priority program and present your assessment of the current architecture.
• Make the key architecture, component, and procurement calls so no time is lost waiting.

60 Days

• Have a working RF hardware prototype assembled, with the team executing under your direction.
• Collaborate with the DSP and firmware teams to showcase a “Hello World” of the working prototype.
• Put core RF processes in place: design reviews, test benches, and characterization standards.
• Present the RF hiring plan and get the first interviews moving.

90 Days

• Show the product’s intended functionality.
• Integrate RF hardware with the broader system alongside cross-functional teams.
• Optimize and tune RF performance based on test results.
• Identify cost-reduction and manufacturability improvements, and ready the design for production.
• Lead IP development and patent discussions.
• Present your 12-month RF roadmap to the founder and discuss your career aspirations with him.

Tips

Irrespective of you applying at Armory or not, some of the following tips will definitely help you in your job search.

How to get hired

Targeted Applications: Ensure your application is tailored specifically for the job you're applying for by understanding its requirements and showcasing relevant experiences and skills. Apply for THIS job, not some job.

Quality Over Quantity: Instead of applying to 100 jobs casually, it’s far better to apply to 4 seriously.

Stand out: Most people don’t put any efforts in applying to jobs, their applications look exactly the same. It’s easy to stand out from them just by putting a little effort and showcasing your relevant experience and interest for the said job.

How to NOT get hired

• If your cover letter starts with _“Honestly, I possess all the skills and experience that you’re looking for”_, then you are not going to make it.
• In fact, we wrote a long thread on all the ways you will NOT get hired. https://x.com/singhamardeep/status/1459114743398998018?s=46 We highly recommend you to read it.

We wish you the best in your job search!