Senior Software Defined Radio; SDR Engineer Security Clearance

Position: Senior Software Defined Radio (SDR) Engineer with Security Clearance
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- Description Today, Electronic Warfare (EW) is a growing enterprise — protecting the warfighter and our national security against ever-adapting threats. Our division currently has an exciting opportunity for a Software Defined Radio (SDR) Engineer to perform design, development, and hardware/software integration in Arlington, VA for the Electronic Warfare Division. Our division primarily focuses on research & development and advanced prototyping, transforming state-of-the-art signal processing algorithms into real-time software systems deployed on advanced RF platforms.

The successful candidate will be an individual contributor responsible for designing, developing, and integrating high-performance SDR solutions using Ettus Research USRP platforms. This role requires expertise in real-time RF signal processing, low-latency streaming architectures, and software development close to the hardware layer. The ideal candidate is comfortable building production-grade SDR systems from the ground up and optimizing them for demanding operational environments.

Primary Responsibilities
* Design, develop, and deploy advanced SDR systems using Ettus Research USRP hardware
* Develop high-performance SDR applications using:
* C++
* UHD (USRP Hardware Driver)
* Implement and optimize:
* Real-time DSP pipelines
* Custom waveform generation
* Modulation/demodulation chains
* RF streaming architectures
* High-throughput signal processing systems
* Interface directly with:
* FPGA-based SDR architectures
* High-speed Ethernet transport layers
* RF front ends and synchronization systems
* Develop software for low-latency and real-time RF applications
* Perform RF system integration, testing, calibration, and troubleshooting
* Analyze and optimize:
* Spectral performance
* Timing synchronization
* Throughput bottlenecks
* RF impairments
* Integrate SDR platforms into larger communications, sensing, or EW architectures
* Produce technical documentation, interface definitions, and software architecture artifacts
* Support lab and field testing activities, travel up to 15% Basic Qualifications
* Bachelor’s degree in:
* Electrical Engineering
* Computer Engineering
* Computer Science
* Related technical discipline
* Must have 8+ years of expereince including strong hands-on experience with:
* Ettus Research USRP platforms (X310/X410, N320/N321, X440, B-Series platforms)
* Strong proficiency in:
* Modern C++
* Python
* Linux systems programming, including Linux performance optimization
* Multithreaded and concurrent software architectures
* Experience deploying systems with Red Hat Linux
* Experience developing with:
* UHD API
* Real-time streaming systems
* High-rate packet processing
* Socket programming
* Low-latency software architectures
* Ettus RF Network On Chip (RFNoC) architecture
* Strong understanding of:
* RF fundamentals
* Wireless communications systems
* IQ signal processing
* Digital modulation techniques
* Wideband RF architectures
* Spectrum analysis
* Experience implementing:
* OFDM
* QPSK/QAM
* Channel estimation
* Synchronization algorithms
* FFT/channelization pipelines
* Adaptive filtering
* Signal detection and classification
* Time/frequency synchronization
* Position requires an active Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one

Preferred Qualifications
* Experience with:
* Electronic Warfare (EW)
* SIGINT/ELINT systems
* Tactical communications
* Spectrum operations
* Radar or RF sensing systems
* Familiarity with:
* Xilinx FPGA architectures
* Vivado
* Verilog/VHDL
* Hardware acceleration pipelines
* Experience with:
* 10/40/100 GigE transport
* GPSDO/PPS synchronization
* Distributed SDR architectures
* Real-time operating systems
* Familiarity with:
* MIMO systems
* Beamforming
* SATCOM architectures
* Active Top Secret clearance preferred Desired Traits
* Strong systems engineering mindset
* Ability to troubleshoot complex RF/software interactions
* Comfortable working directly with hardware in lab and field environments
* Capable of building production-grade SDR software from the ground up
* Strong debugging, optimization, and performance tuning skills
*…