RF Engineer II (R6053)

Shield AI · Seattle, Washington

  • Junior
  • Full-time
  • $110,000 – $170,000
  • Posted 2026-09-24
  • Confirmed live on 25 September 2026

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Job description

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 

What you'll do:
• Design RF and microwave modules from requirements and architecture through schematic capture, component selection, layout, bring-up, verification, qualification, and production release, with scope and independence appropriate to level.

• Design active and passive RF circuits such as low-noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, filters and multiplexers, RF switches, limiters, couplers, attenuators, power detectors, and frequency-conversion stages.

• Develop RF front-end assemblies that meet gain, noise figure, output power, linearity, compression, efficiency, harmonic and spurious-emission, stability, isolation, and out-of-band rejection requirements.

• Perform circuit and electromagnetic analysis using tools such as Keysight ADS, Cadence AWR, HFSS, or CST, and correlate models with measured hardware performance.

• Create and review RF and mixed-signal PCB designs, including controlled-impedance routing, grounding, shielding, stack-up definition, power distribution, and placement of sensitive or high-power components.

• Plan and execute laboratory characterization using network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, noise-figure analyzers, power meters, oscilloscopes, and automated test equipment.

• Diagnose difficult hardware issues involving instability, oscillation, intermodulation, self-interference, desense, thermal drift, mismatch, leakage, and electromagnetic coupling.

• Work closely with mechanical, thermal, avionics, communications, antenna, manufacturing, and test engineers to integrate RF hardware into size-, weight-, power-, cooling-, and environmental constraints.

• Develop verification methods, production test strategies, calibration approaches, and clear technical documentation that make designs repeatable and manufacturable.

• Support environmental and electromagnetic qualification, supplier engagements, hardware integration, ground test, and flight test as needed.

• Contribute to design reviews, share technical knowledge, and support the growth of interns and less-experienced engineers at a level appropriate to the position.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• Typically 1 or more years of relevant post-undergraduate experience for L2, or 2 or more years for L3. Applicable graduate study and research may count toward experience. Demonstrated capability and scope are more important than years alone.

• Hands-on experience designing, building, or debugging an RF or microwave circuit, module, or PCB assembly through measured verification.

• Solid understanding of S-parameters, impedance matching, transmission lines, stability, gain and noise figure, linearity and compression, nonlinear products, isolation, and cascaded RF performance.

• Experience creating or reviewing RF PCB layouts with controlled impedance, grounding, shielding, component placement, and signal-integrity considerations.

• Proficiency with common RF laboratory instruments and calibration methods, with the ability to distinguish hardware behavior from measurement artifacts.

• Ability to use simulation and measured data to make sound design decisions, document tradeoffs, and close requirements with objective evidence.

• Clear written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with cross-functional engineering and manufacturing teams.

• Ability to work on-site in a laboratory and hardware-development environment.

Preferred qualifications:
• Experience with RF front ends for airborne, defense, space, robotics, or other high-reliability systems.

• Experience integrating GaN or GaAs power amplifiers, MMICs, LNAs, switches, limiters, frequency converters, or high-selectivity filter technologies.

• Experience designing for simultaneous transmit and receive operation, high-power RF, intermodulation control, adjacent-band rejection, or co-site interference and desense.

• Experience with Altium Designer and one or more RF or electromagnetic simulation environments such as ADS, AWR, HFSS, or CST.

• Working knowledge of thermal design, RF packaging, connector and cable interfaces, tolerance analysis, and design for manufacturability and test.

• Experience with EMI and EMC design and qualification for military or aerospace hardware.

• Experience developing automated characterization or data-analysis tools i

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