About this opportunity
jobs.frontdoordefense.com - Jobboard lists this Senior Principal RF Engineer opportunity in hawthorne, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Senior Principal RF Engineer
Own the RF hardware design for aerospace and defense products from concept to production
Location: Hawthorne, California, United States
Compensation: $190,000 - 260,000 USD / year
Job Tags: Hardware
About The Role
CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.
CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London.
CHAOS is seeking a Sr. Principal RF Engineer with deep expertise in RF circuit design to serve as a technical authority for high-reliability RF and microwave electronics used in aerospace and defense applications. This role spans the full product lifecycle, from early architecture and requirements shaping through detailed design, simulation, verification, production support, and fielded system sustainment.
The ideal candidate is an internally and externally recognized RF circuit technical authority who can set technical direction, establish design practices, mentor other engineers, and resolve the most complex RF, microwave, packaging, test, and system integration issues across multiple programs.
This is a full-time, on-site position in Hawthorne, CA.
Responsibilities
Lead design, analysis, prototyping, and tuning of complex RF circuit boards incorporating catalog MMICs, including LNAs, power amplifiers, baluns, filters, mixers, and associated bias and matching networks
Lead architecture development and component trade studies to meet system-level RF performance requirements across programs or product lines
Set direction for schematics, layouts, and design documentation in accordance with customer requirements, aerospace standards, and internal design practices
Serve as technical authority for linear, nonlinear, and electromagnetic simulations using industry-standard tools (e.g., HFSS, ADS, AWR, or equivalent)
Guide PCB layout (Altium) and RF stack-up definition, including impedance control, grounding, shielding, and isolation techniques
Lead RF testing and characterization, including integration and troubleshooting at the board, module, and subsystem levels
Set direction for the design and specification of RF test equipment, fixtures, and automation
Mentor engineers and drive cross-disciplinary technical alignment across systems, power, digital, mechanical, and software teams to ensure RF designs integrate cleanly within larger systems
Serve as technical authority from development through production and post-production, including failure analysis and field support
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with 15+ years of progressively responsible RF engineering experience
Demonstrated technical leadership developing RF hardware for aerospace, defense, avionics, radar, EW, communications, or space systems
Expert understanding of RF fundamentals, including gain, noise figure, linearity, phase noise, stability, and impedance matching
Hands‑on experience leading RF test activities using RF test equipment (e.g., VNAs, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters)
Demonstrated ability to lead analysis, troubleshooting, and resolution of complex RF circuit performance issues
Strong attention to detail and ability to set technical direction in fast‑paced, development‑focused environments
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
Preferred Requirements
Advanced Degree (MS or PhD) in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or related discipline
Recognized expertise with power amplifier design, analysis, and integration
Expertise with EMI/EMC considerations for RF systems and compliance with applicable aerospace standards
Experience setting direction for mixed-signal or RF/digital interfaces
Expert knowledge of manufacturing considerations for RF hardware, including tolerance analysis and yield drivers
Experience leading support for production hardware and fielded systems
Experience setting RF PCB layout best practices and design‑for‑manufacturing considerations
Familiarity with DO-160, MIL-STD-461, or similar aerospace/defense standards
Familiarity with RF antenna design principles
Why CHAOS?
Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
Our Perks: Free daily lunch, No meeting Fridays, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre‑IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices
$190k-260k
The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.
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Worksite address
hawthorne, CA, 90250, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.