RF Engineer, In-Orbit WPT Demo Mission (m/f/d)

Focus: TerraSpark's first space-to-Earth wireless power beaming payload launches in 2028, and it lives or dies by its RF chain: front-ends, matching, filtering, and power stages that behave the same in the lab, on the bench, and in vacuum. This role owns RF chain design and analysis end to end, working alongside the WPT Engineer (transmit array and link budget) and Rectenna Engineer (receive-side RF-DC conversion) without duplicating either.

What you'll do:

• Design and characterize RF front-end electronics: matching networks, filtering, driver stages, and RF power conditioning.
• Own the RF chain architecture for the demo payload end to end, from DC input to radiated or received signal, coordinating with the WPT Engineer and Rectenna Engineer at the interfaces.
• Define and run lab test setups combining RF and power measurements (VNAs, spectrum analyzers, power meters) and feed results back into design.
• Work with the PCB Engineer on layout constraints that affect RF performance (impedance control, isolation, grounding).
• Work with the Embedded Software Engineer on interface requirements (control signals, monitoring points) so hardware and software agree on what working means.
• Collaborate with Thermal and Structures on RF hardware layouts, harnessing, and mounting.

What you bring:

• MSc or BSc in RF/Microwave Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or similar, with several years of hands-on RF chain design experience, not just simulation.
• Deep, practical understanding of RF chains: matching, filtering, gain and loss budgets, and how they behave differently in the lab versus on paper.
• Confidence using VNAs, spectrum analyzers, and power meters to find out what a circuit is actually doing.
• Experience with RF design tools (ADS, AWR, HFSS, or similar).
• Background in satcom, radar, or high-power RF strongly preferred; wireless power transmission experience is a bonus, not a requirement.
• A calm, hands-on, collaborative approach, comfortable owning a chain that other engineers' work plugs into on both ends.