About this opportunity
Powerus lists this RF and Communications Engineer opportunity in rock hill, South Carolina. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
About Powerus
If you would like to know a bit more about this opportunity, or are considering applying, then please read the following job information.
Powerus is building a next-generation American autonomous systems platform designed to move, protect, and sustain critical assets in high-consequence environments. The company combines advanced autonomy, manufacturing capability, operational expertise, and strategic acquisitions to support defense, national security, critical infrastructure, and commercial operations globally.
Mission
Our mission is to deliver resilient autonomous technologies that strengthen national security, improve operational safety, and expand the capabilities of organizations operating in complex environments.
Why Join Powerus
An unmanned aircraft is only as capable as the link that reaches it. As Powerus scales its platforms into defense and national security work, the command, control, and telemetry links have to hold up in environments where the spectrum is crowded, degraded, or actively contested - and where losing the link is an operational event, not an inconvenience.
This role owns that layer end to end. You will select and integrate the radios, design and place the antennas, characterize real range and margin instead of datasheet range, and define how the aircraft behaves when the link thins out or drops entirely.
Position Overview
Powerus is seeking an RF and Communications Engineer to design, integrate, and validate the datalink and communications systems across our unmanned platforms. This position requires U.S. Person status, as the work involves access to export-controlled technical data. You will own C2 and telemetry link architecture, antenna selection and placement, link budgets, and the RF integration work that decides whether a design performs in the field. You will work closely with hardware, embedded software, GNC, and flight test, and you will spend real time at the range with a spectrum analyzer rather than only at a desk.
Key Responsibilities
Design and specify command-and-control, telemetry, and payload datalinks across the platform family
Build and validate link budgets, and characterize real-world range, margin, and coverage through ground and flight testing
Select, integrate, and evaluate radios, amplifiers, filters, and antennas against mission requirements
Design antenna placement and integration on the airframe, accounting for pattern distortion, structure, and installed performance
Investigate and mitigate interference, desense, and self-jamming between onboard radios, motors, and payloads
Define link resilience behavior - frequency agility, degraded-link operation, and loss-of-link response - with GNC and flight software
Support spectrum planning, frequency coordination, and RF-related regulatory and program compliance
Document RF architecture, test methods, and validation evidence for internal and customer review
Qualifications
Must be located in the United States, within commuting distance of Rock Hill, SC
Degree in electrical engineering, communications engineering, physics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
Experience designing, integrating, or testing RF and wireless communication systems in a hardware product
Working knowledge of link budgets, modulation and coding, propagation, and antenna fundamentals
Hands-on comfort with RF test equipment - spectrum analyzers, vector network analyzers, signal generators, and over-the-air test
Experience troubleshooting RF problems on real hardware, including interference and EMI issues
U.S. Person status required (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)); this role involves access to ITAR- and EAR-controlled technical data
Preferred Qualifications
Datalink experience on UAV, robotics, or other mobile platforms
Familiarity with mesh networking, frequency hopping, or spread spectrum waveforms
Experience with software defined radio platforms and RF signal processing
Exposure to contested or electromagnetically degraded environments, or to electronic warfare considerations
Antenna design or simulation experience, including pattern measurement
Familiarity with spectrum authorization processes for government or defense use
What We Look For
We are looking for an engineer who trusts measurement over specification sheets. RF work punishes assumptions, and the people who do it well are the ones who go find the null, chase the unexplained 6 dB, and are willing to say a link is not ready. You should be comfortable moving between simulation, bench, and field, and equally comfortable explaining RF constraints to engineers who do not think in decibels.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Powerus is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and mission-driven workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.