{"id":4003776,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vast-space-rf-systems-engineer","title":"RF Systems Engineer","company":{"id":185145,"name":"Vast Space","domain":"vastspace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/vastspace","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":83,"open_postings":60,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.683,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":51,"computed_at":"2026-11-10T06:52:35Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Long Beach, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":120540,"max":209520,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":209520},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"ANSYS","optional":false},{"name":"STK","optional":false},{"name":"CCSDS","optional":true},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":true},{"name":"Python","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-10T02:19:09Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-10","last_verified_at":"2026-11-10T05:40:42Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and capital-efficient approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station to support a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and supporting a growing space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to design, build, and operate its own spacecraft in orbit. Next, Haven-1 is targeted to become the world’s first commercial space station, with launch anticipated in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced two new offerings leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo: Vast Satellite, a high-power satellite product line; and Vast Lunar Systems, power, communications, and habitats for the Moon.\nHeadquartered in Long Beach, California, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities capable of manufacturing America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for Mars, dedicated modules for government partners, and other crewed systems designed to unlock the expanding long-term space economy.\nVast is looking for a RF Systems Engineer, reporting to the Director, RF Engineering, to execute the development of the RF Systems for spacecraft including space stations and satellites.\nAs an RF Systems Engineer, you will manage communication system requirements and verification for space stations and satellites. Your responsibilities will include RF system design, link budgets, satellite coverage analysis, and definition of system concepts-of-operation (CONOPs). You will be expected to own one or more RF components and to collaborate with your mechanical, thermal, test, integration, and mission assurance engineering counterparts to guide those components through testing, integration, and operation during the mission.\nThis will be a full-time, exempt position in our Long Beach location.\nResponsibilities: \nOwn and manage spacecraft RF system requirements and verification plan\nSpecify link parameters including modulation, error correction coding, symbol rate, and channel filter\nCalculate link budgets, considering data throughput requirements, link conditions, and ground station characteristics\nEstimate the expected data throughput and bit error rate based on your link budgets\nMaintain link budgets with consideration to on-vehicle antenna patterns, cable losses, radio specifications, and channel conditions for the expected orbit\nSupport regulatory license applications by providing required analyses such as power flux density and antenna contours\nUse standard tools such as Ansys STK to estimate coverage and link variability during real mission orbit scenarios\nDocument and review your work output with peers through trade studies and design reviews\nOwn one or more RF products from development testing through mission operation\nBe a center of subject matter expertise over your RF components in the context of the overall RF system\nPlan the design, manufacturing, testing, integration, and delivery to the vehicle and coordinate the schedule with interfacing teams and project management\nManage relationships with cross-functional teams including mechanical engineers, test engineers, manufacturing engineers, thermal engineers, and avionics engineers\nManage vendors and clearly communicate requirements, deliverables, and schedule\nDefine test plans and procedures for acceptance and qualification testing\nDefine and document checkout tests to validate proper operation during and after integration at the vehicle level\nSupport mission operations as a subject matter expert on the spacecraft RF system\nMinimum Qualifications:\nBachelor's degree in ECE, EE, Physics, or related STEM discipline\nFamiliarity with digital RF communication theory, components, and fundamentals\nSatellite Link budgets\nSatellite link figures of merit including\nG/T ratio\nSignal-to-noise figures of merit including C/No, Eb/No, etc\nError vector magnitude (EVM)\nNoise figure\nBit error rate\nModulation schemes\nInterference\nIQ modulators\nChannel impairments\nEIRP\nFree space path loss (FSPL)\nDoppler shift\nFamiliarity with antennas and propagation\nAntenna gain/directivity\nAntenna polarization\nExperience with RF measurements and concepts\nSpectrum analyzers\nNoise bandwidth\nExperience with RF fundamentals\nS-parameters\nExperience in programming\nData analysis tools\nExperience with product management\nVendor management\nDesign reviews\nRequirements and verification\nPreferred Skills & Experience:\nMS or PhD in ECE, EE, Physics, or related stem discipline\nWork experience\nStartup experience\nAerospace experience\nDesign for space\nTesting for space environments\nEMI/EMC testing\nEnvironmental testing\nSMC-S-016 test requirements for launch vehicles\nRF measurements\nSpectral mask\nSpur measurements\nExperience with analysis software\nSTK\nPython\nMatlab\nRF for satellite communications\nOrbital mechanics\nP1dB\nTransmission line loss\nSpectral regrowth\nHarmonic distortion\nRF passive components\nSatellite communications standards\nCCSDS\nDVB-S2\nDSP for RF communications\nReceiver synchronization\nShannon theory\nNyquist sampling theorem\nForward error correction\nAntenna/propagation effects\nMultipath\nAxial ratio\nCross-polarization\nPay Range: California\n$120,540—$209,520 USD\nWe calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience levels to apply.\nCOMPENSATION AND BENEFITS\n\nBase salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.\nEQUAL OPPORTUNITY\nVast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vast 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.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7188,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Life insurance","Parental leave","Retirement plans"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Aerospace Manufacturing","Satellite Manufacturing","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-10T05:40:42Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":60,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.602,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":51,"reasons":["conf:1","stale_co","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-10T06:52:35Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":209520,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/vast-space-rf-systems-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/vast-space-rf-systems-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-10T08:28:01Z","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":19633,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-11T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"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":185145},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=185145"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvast-space-rf-systems-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"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%2Fvast-space-rf-systems-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"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%2Fvast-space-rf-systems-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/vast-space-rf-systems-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvast-space-rf-systems-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":4003776}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"vastspace.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":4003776},"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. 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