Chief RF Engineer, Space Radar

Chief RF Engineer, Space Radar

Mithril Technologies

Greater Boston, MA

Mithril Technologies is building next generation space radar. We are a small, high caliber team working on funded programs, real hardware rather than concept studies, alongside MIT and Draper Laboratory. We move at new space speed, with rapid prototyping, tight timelines from design to orbit, and decisions that land quickly.

The Role: You will own the technical direction and performance of Mithril's radar and RF systems and be accountable for delivering programs on cost and schedule. The mix is roughly two thirds principal architect and one third technical program lead, combining deep individual technical authority with hands on program leadership.

This is a Chief Engineer role, not a CTO role. We are not asking you to run corporate strategy, board and investor relations, or company wide P&L. We are asking you to be the defining technical voice on the radar and to make the nonstandard calls.

What You'll Do:

• Own radar and RF system architecture from end to end, including link and radar budgets, waveform and phased array decisions, and overall RF performance
• Run programs to cost and schedule, own technical risk, and manage subcontractors, vendors, and teams across mechanical, electrical, and software.
• Engage upstream of the spec, shaping requirements and working directly with customers.
• Grow and mentor the RF and hardware engineering team and set standards and review practices.

What We're Looking For:

• Principal or architect level RF depth in radar systems, demonstrably real rather than slideware. The domain is open: ground based, airborne, naval, or spaceborne radar all qualify.
• You have architected a radar or RF hardware program from end to end (for example SAR, AESA and phased arrays, active or passive radar, or EW payloads).
• Proven technical program management: you have led a program or IPT to cost and schedule, owning technical risk and subcontractors.
• Instinctive command of RF fundamentals, with link and radar equations as everyday scoping tools, and strong system level trade off thinking under cost, schedule, and program constraints.
• A track record of shipping fielded hardware, not just study phase work.

Strong candidates can teach the answer to a technically adjacent listener in plain language, can cleanly separate what they personally owned from what the team owned, and can name the specific constraint that made a hard program hard.

Requirements:

• U.S. person: U.S. citizen or green card holder. Required for all candidates (ITAR).
• Clearable: able to obtain a U.S. security clearance.

Nice to Have:

• Active U.S. security clearance (Secret, TS, or TS/SCI), a significant accelerant but not required.
• Experience with government and defense customers and program environments, for example SDA, SSC, DARPA, AFRL, NRO, or national labs.
• Spaceborne or new space experience, including smallsat power, mass, and schedule constraints. A plus, and explicitly not required.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Base salary: $180,000 to $200,000
• Equity: Meaningful equity stake, a core part of the offer
• Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage