{"id":525215,"url":"https://alion.io/job/kaptaspace-principal-antenna-engineer","title":"Principal Antenna Engineer","company":{"id":10355,"name":"Kaptaspace","domain":"kaptaspace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/kaptaspace","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Lever","truth_index":null},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Redmond, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":215000,"max":275000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":275000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-24T20:11:33Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-24","last_verified_at":"2026-11-02T03:38:36Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":69,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":69},"description":"Kapta is seeking a Principal Antenna Engineer to lead the development of our radar antenna systems. The antenna engineer will be responsible for design, build and test of high frequency and millimeter wave electronically scanned antennas in collaboration with diverse engineering disciplines. This position requires a strong, self-driven engineer capable of working in a fast-paced, multi-disciplinary environment.\nThe ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to apply advanced technical principles, theories, and concepts, and will have the drive and discipline to complete projects independently and on time. Kapta Space recognizes that strong candidates come from diverse backgrounds; if you bring relevant experience and the capacity to grow into this role, we encourage you to apply.\nRole\nAssist multi-disciplinary team in translating radar performance into antenna requirements, architecture, interfaces, and design trades.\nDesign high-performance antenna systems and microwave circuits for use in c-SWaP-constrained systems.\nDevelop tools for antenna and RF performance analysis within the larger radar system.\nDrive antenna hardware development efforts, working closely with vendors and suppliers to meet performance, cost, and schedule objectives.\nTest what you build! Take measurements and perform analysis of antenna and radar systems. Incorporate test data into system-level performance analysis.\nOptimize and calibrate antennas and antenna arrays for key performance metrics, including gain, side lobes, scan performance, bandwidth, and polarization purity over frequency and scan angle.\nModel array gain, scan loss, coupling, sidelobes, polarization, and spacecraft effects in HFSS/CST/FEKO.\nBuild, test, and mature antenna, feed, and RF prototypes; partner with suppliers through qualification and production readiness activities.\nSupport near- and far-field antenna test campaigns, leveraging measurement results to validate EM simulations, refine antenna designs, and assess radar system performance.\nDevelop array calibration, beam-steering, and alignment methods with FPGA/DSP/software/RF teams.\nOptimize gain, efficiency, sidelobes, polarization, isolation, and phase/amplitude accuracy over scan.\nSupport spacecraft integration and RF qualification across thermal, vibration, and thermal-vacuum environments.\nDrive technical problem solving, design reviews, and hardware maturation from early prototypes through flight-ready products.\nDevelop, implement, and validate antenna control algorithms for advanced performance modes.\nContribute to recruiting, interviewing, and hiring efforts to support team growth.\nRequired Qualifications\nBS, MS, or PhD degree in electrical engineering, electromagnetics, physics, or a related discipline.\nOnsite role in Redmond, WA.\n10+ years of RF/antenna development, including phased arrays for radar or communications.\nStrong array theory: impedance matching, coupling, polarization, scan behavior, and beamforming.\nProven track record of designing creative antenna systems that successfully balance multi-disciplinary engineering requirements.\nFamiliarity with high-density PCB-based antenna design and fabrication\nExperience with phased-array design principles and digital beamforming (DBF)\nProficiency with HFSS/CST/FEKO and Python/MATLAB for analysis, test automation, and model correlation.\nHands-on VNA, spectrum analyzer, signal generator, and near-/far-field antenna measurement experience.\nHigh-frequency/mmW PCB antennas, feeds, waveguide/passives, prototyping, and strong cross-functional ownership.\nDemonstrated ownership of complex technical challenges from concept through implementation, validation, and deployment.\nBonus if candidates have experience and skills in the following areas:\nSpaceborne phased-array/radar antenna design, spacecraft integration, and environmental qualification.\nRadar experience, especially SAR, GMTI/AMTI, performance analysis, high-power RF, or digital beamforming.\nMetamaterial, traveling-wave, leaky-wave, or other low-profile electronically scanned antenna architectures that balance performance vs cost.\nRFICs, beamformer ICs, custom ASICs, T/R modules, or mixed-signal control electronics.\nKu/Ka-band or higher-frequency arrays, including waveguide, power handling, and low-loss RF implementation.\nActive DoD clearance or ability to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance.\nConcerned you do not meet all the requirements? Not a problem - please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4515,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Space & Aerospace","Geospatial Analytics"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-08T04:51:08Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":16,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.463,"p_room":0.35,"age_days":68,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:2","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-11-01T06:10:25Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":275000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/kaptaspace-principal-antenna-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/kaptaspace-principal-antenna-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-02T05:08:27Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":7437,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":10355},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=10355"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fkaptaspace-principal-antenna-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fkaptaspace-principal-antenna-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fkaptaspace-principal-antenna-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/kaptaspace-principal-antenna-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fkaptaspace-principal-antenna-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":525215}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"kaptaspace.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":525215},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}