RF Engineer at Icarus

Compensation

$120,000 – $220,000/yr

Location: El Segundo, California
Type: Full-time
Posted: Feb 9, 2026

Description

Icarus is seeking an experienced RF Engineer to design, build, and fly RF and communications systems for long-endurance stratospheric aircraft. The role involves owning RF subsystems end-to-end, integrating various components like radios and antennas, and leading EMI/EMC mitigation efforts. The ideal candidate will have strong fundamentals in RF theory, electromagnetics, and communication systems, with hands-on experience in RF test equipment and field debugging.

Required Skills

RF Theory
Electromagnetics
Communications Systems
Link Budgets
Antenna Design
RF Propagation
System-Level Trade Studies
RF Test Equipment
Debugging RF Systems

Additional Information

Required Previous Experiences: 2+ years designing and deploying real RF systems for aerospace, defense, UAVs, or similarly demanding environments
Preferred Qualifications: Strong fundamentals in RF theory, electromagnetics, and communications systems
Experience with link budgets, antenna design or selection, RF propagation, and system-level trade studies
Hands-on experience with RF test equipment (spectrum analyzers, VNAs, signal generators, power meters)
Experience debugging RF systems in the field, not just in simulation
Comfort working from first principles and validating performance through test and flight data
Ability to move fast, own outcomes, and operate with minimal supervision